I Came, I Saw, I Conquered
by Corycian Muse
Summary: [AU]Impending doom awaits a normally peaceful village, or that's the way it is told. An epic tale of power and deceit, revenge and conspiracy, and the love that binds them together. [Chapt.13 up]
1. Sentimental Days

**I Came, I Saw, I Conquered  
_by Corycian Muse

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_******  
**(14-4-05) - This chapter has been edited  
Disclaimer: I do not own Golden Sun, or Camelot, or anything else for that matter, apart from my imagination**

**_"I Came, I Saw, I Conquered" _**  
**_- Julius Caeser

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**Ok, now I look back at this chapter, I really don't think it starts off too brilliantly - in fact, it makes me cringe. I just can't be bothered to go back and edit it while I'm writing the chapters that are up to date. It's just too hot (starts fanning herself).**  
** Another thing I've come to notice is how this story takes a while to get going! Don't expect any action straight away, folks! Sorry for the inconvenience, but it's always better when the author makes you wait - please trust me on this, because I've come to realise how planning future chapters really helps in the writing (amazing, isn't it?). In other words, once the adventures get going I'm pretty hopeful there's going to be some - ahem - action performances, perhaps even on the big scale. Of course, in my stories, angst and romance are compulsory, so do not fear.**  
** The last point I want to make is, _Please Review! _I don't care if you've never reviewed this story, or not, and I don't take laziness as an excuse (ho ho). Whether it's constructive critiscm, or just one word of praise - as long as it helps the author in some way, I appreciate so much. If there are parts you don't think work, then tell me! I would like to get better and improve in my writing, and your reviews are the only way (as well as my evil english teacher) that this can be done.**  
** Thanks again so much all you great people out there.

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Please Read, Review, and Enjoy! ... ...

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**Chapter One: Sentimental Days**

Across the freezing North Sea a silent ship flew, the chilling breeze filling the sails. A single dark figure stood on the shadowy rear deck. The wind ruffled his hair and clothes, coursing over his features. His hands laid upon the helm, as the ship drew closer to a land covered in darkness ahead. The land rose from the sea, black and foreboding.

His senses were alert, and his eyes searched over the rugged forested land ahead of him. He was getting close to his destination. Piers turned the wheel of the boat slightly, enough for him to stay on course. He had felt it in the wind, like it travelled across time itself, and he knew that he had to make changes. It called out to him like a voice echoing through caves, reverberating in the dark abysses, and he realised he was needed elsewhere. So he left. Everything and everyone he knew remained on the lost island, known only to the people that dwelled upon its shores. Piers had his duty, and he knew that he had to fulfil it.

Time could not be erased.

* * *

Among the thick trees there stood a collection of small houses, smoke billowing from the thatched roofs. A single wolf's howl was heard. Flickering lights made the enshrouding shadows waver.

Suddenly a door opened, and a man walked out, pulling his furs more tightly over himself to keep out the cold. Piers could just see the inside of the hut from where he was standing outside the wooden stockade surrounding the hamlet. The cold did not matter to him; he did not feel its bitterness in his strong Lemurian bones.

"Isaac, son, I'm going down to the coast," the man called into the hut. "Dora, look after him, won't you dear?" He was using the tongue of the Angelcynn, in which Piers was thankfully well-versed.

"Don't worry. We'll be fine," came a woman's voice. "You need to look after yourself, though."

"I'll be fine too. I only need to take a look at something – Ivan said he had a vision of a ship, unlike any we've seen before, crashed right onto the beach like some fool had been driving it."

Piers cringed, thinking that he was a better helmsman than that. He carefully moved himself back into the shadows as the man walked past, and onwards towards the sea with a flaring torch in his hand. Piers heard every movement he made, every blade of grass that was rustled in his wake. An owl hooted in the black forest that stood imposingly behind the sailor.

The man had soon disappeared into the encroaching woods, and Piers crept over the stockade and among the homesteads. Passing the man's abode, he heard 'Isaac' snoring and 'Dora' scolding him for being such a lout. Then, the creaking of the walls as the wind picked up. These houses were unstable, Piers thought. He turned slightly, and crouched to the ground, not moving and taking in his surroundings. Then suddenly a ray of light pierced through the foggy darkness, and Piers turned his head sharply to the right to see that someone was in another hut, awake and moving across the straw-strewn ground. The oaken door of the small household creaked with age, and opened.

To Piers' horror, the man who stepped out was huge and massively muscled. Then the behemoth opened his mouth, and Piers' dismay was ended.

"I'm so hungry!" bemoaned the brute to the night. "I can't get a wink of sleep! My appetite will be ruined!"

Piers decided that was as good a chance as he could get for making a friendly introduction to the villagers. He stepped forwards from his hiding place, and spoke.

"Ho there, my good fellow. I am a traveller from a distant land of which you will not have heard. Yet I know of a plight that faces your humble dwelling place, and I do not believe that, as of the moment, you have any hope of defeating the faceless enemy. That is why I am here, for I know both of your helplessness and of the means by which you may be defended."

The villager stood there, blinking in the half-light. Not a word had permeated his head. "Huh? Wha…" Piers wondered if maybe his sizeable hair was interfering with his brain.

Piers got to his feet and looked as kindly as he could at the inhabitant. "I'm a… mercenary. Your village needs one. May I stay at your house for the night?"

The man blinked a bit more, and then looked at Piers as if he'd only just noticed him. "Uhhh… yeah, of course. Come right on in."

The large person stepped back and allowed Piers to pass. Then he shut the door and put the glowering candle onto the old tabletop surface. The hut was warm enough, and it was clear to Piers that it was a larger home than many of the others in the area. This family was obviously better-off than the rest, and Piers didn't think it would have come from their intelligence. He turned to the red-haired man, and smiled weakly.

"What is your name, good fellow?" he said again, as he reached up and adjusted his bandana on his forehead. The man stood for a moment, as if working out what this stranger had just said, and then he raised his eyebrows and smiled widely, relieving Piers who was beginning to get worried.

"I'm Garet," he said proudly. "Grandson of the guy who sorts this place out!"

"You mean, like a kind of mayor?" Piers asked, referring to Garet's grandfather.

"Of course! Would you like me to show you to where you're going to sleep?" Garet asked loudly, as he picked up the candle once more. Piers, slightly confounded at it all, just gawped slightly. Garet took it for a 'yes', and he walked out of the larger area into a joining room. Piers followed, slightly put-off at the man's suddenness. He was hoping he would be able to talk to him, and inform this red-head of the danger that was quickly heading their way. Things had to be done at once – these people had to be told. Piers knew this, and it was his job to do so.

Garet hurried to the other side of the room, holding the candle up high. "Kay's not here at the moment," he said loudly over his shoulder, as he roughly kicked a stack of hay over, and spread it around with his foot. Piers was beginning to wish he had stayed on his ship, and waited till morning. "Don't know where she's gone," Garet carried on, "but she's always in a bad mood, so perhaps it's for the best." He suddenly turned around, grinning at Piers, then immediately noticed something to the left. "Oh. Aaron's gone sleepwalking again!" He laughed. "He normally goes off into the forest, but don't worry," he added, seeing Piers' horrified expression. "I'll go and search for him tomorrow morning. He'll be in the same place that he is every time he goes out into the woods." He stepped back, and nearly knocked the candle onto the straw. "Woops! Ah, caught it in time, good, good. Anyway, this is your bed, hope you like it. Don't worry about the old man in the corner – that's my grandfather. My parents normally sleep outside. I can't think why, but never mind. I'm going out to get a little midnight snack, so I'll see you tomorrow morning."

Garet almost bounced towards Piers who quickly jumped out of the way so he could pass. He pulled open the front door, and then quickly stopped, turning to Piers once more. "Oh, you're not good at cooking, are you?" Piers gulped, lost for words. "Well, I wouldn't say that we have the best meals in this place, especially as Kay now refuses to cook anything, it's normally left to Grandfather, and he's not the best I have to say!" Garet nearly giggled.

"…Ok," Piers answered weakly. A second passed, and Garet nodded his head.

"Well I'll see you later then! Bye!" he called and he slammed the oak door behind him. Piers heard him whistle as he walked away, through the Anglo-Saxon village.

Piers stood for a moment, thoughts running through his head. That man, Garet, he had made no sense at all… or at least with matters that were so important. He didn't have any idea what he was doing. "He was all over the place," Piers said out loud, shaking his head sadly. "Let's hope that first impressions don't go for everything." He scratched his head awkwardly, hoping that his voyage here hadn't been for nothing, hoping that some people living in this place were even slightly intelligent. They had to be, if they were to understand the position they were in – what the whole land was in.

Sighing, Piers moved quietly back into the smaller room, glancing warily at the 'mayor' of the village. He was dirty, his hair was straggly, with a beard starting to grow on his old and wrinkled face. Saliva dribbled smoothly down his cheek and onto the grimy straw beneath him as he snored slightly, and Piers shivered.

Of course he _could _go back to his Lemurian ship, which was, thankfully, a lot more advanced – and cleaner – than these filthy peasants seemed to be. But, Piers remembered, there was that man who he had seen earlier. He knew about Piers' ship and had gone to investigate, because of someone seeing it… in a vision. Piers grunted, and lay himself on the straw, thinking it would give him some comfort from the cold, hard ground. Instead it scratched his pale bare skin, and became entangled in his perfect aqua-marine hair. Again, he sighed. There was nothing he could do now, and he knew the best thing would be to wait until morning, and so that is what he did.

The mayor remained snoring in the corner, and Garet never came back that night. Piers, wide-awake, remained in his thoughts, sometimes drifting into forgotten memories of his long past, and he remained uncomfortable all through-out the night.

* * *

The morning arrived, and the day was quickly regaining its warmth that it had lost in the night. The clear sky was azure, and the Sun's rays were starting to fall upon village. The morning hoarfrost took little time to leave, and the steady drip of dew fell from the leaves of shrubs and plants onto the loamy ground. It was going to be a beautiful day.

It was better than any soak in the river (not that she'd had one in a while). The bitter air seemed to cleanse and awaken Mia, and she felt fresher than she had done in a while. Every breath she took washed out her body, and seemed to set her spirit free. Childish wants seemed to form, and Mia smiled widely as she felt like skipping over the bouncy grass. The call of seagulls overhead and nearer the sea lifted the atmosphere, to the highest it could go. Things hadn't felt this good for her in a long time.

"And not only that," she said out loud, liking to hear her own voice for once, instead of the troubles of others that she so put up with. "It's silent. No troubled people, no arguing warlords, or certain blond Jupiter adepts. No Garet, and that _does _make a difference… and no meddling monks. Early mornings are so relaxed – I'll think I'll come out for a walk this time, every day."

Wonderful contented emotions fluttered around Mia's body, and she took in a deep breath, exhilarated by the sheer calmness of it all. The singing of the birds and their flittering movements through the air; it was all so _natural, _so beautiful.

Suddenly the sound of footsteps arrived, and Mia turned, only to start in surprise. Alex? She paused, and peered at him.

"Good morning madam, my name is Piers," he said slightly tentatively. Mia smiled a smile of relief. The evil monk Alex was from her very own clan to the North-east. They both bore the ability to control Mercury's power, and they both had the appearances of people from the north. But this man also had blue hair… and golden eyes.

"May I ask who you are?" she asked as politely as she could, and he shrugged.

"I'm… not from these parts - I'm from a place called Lemuria," he explained. Then, feeling he should go the whole way, he carried on. "I arrived here last night, not by mistake. I came because of what I saw would come to this distant land, if something was not done to prevent it. You could call me a mercenary if it made more sense to you, but I'm here to help," he explained. Mia stared.

"Are you saying that something is going to happen?" she asked, slightly bemused.

"I'm afraid I am," Piers said sadly. "A great danger is headed towards your land; I felt it upon the wind, across the seas. It was, and is my duty to help in any way that I can. I hope you will accept me in your village."

"Accept you? I don't understand," Mia answered flatly. "If you mean you are staying here, then it is not doing anything against any rules that we have, and if you believe something dangerous is coming our way, perhaps we should tell it to someone with more power in their hands. I'm afraid I can't do anything for you myself."

Piers brightened, and he brushed his fringe out of his face, smiling. "That would help a lot," he said, and he joined Mia to walk down the path between the houses. The morning air was freshening to him; he was glad he had come out this early, away from the steady snores of the 'mayor' that had kept him up all night. "I don't know if it's polite to say this," he said, a little unsure, but Mia smiled at him kindly. "When I arrived late last night, I came across a man named Garet." Though Piers didn't notice it, Mia's smile widened. She didn't have much doubt about what might come next. "Well, he let me stay the night, but he lived with an old man, who he said was the mayor," Piers said. "That's not true, is it? And I do hope this isn't being offensive," he added.

"Oh don't worry!" Mia laughed, startling Piers. Her smile was so beautiful, so kind. "Garet's… well, I'm not sure how to describe Garet," she said to him, just as the great sea came into view ahead of them. The Sun glittered upon its calm, rippling waves, and they stopped in their tracks to look out at the view. "Let's just say that he's not the sharpest tool in the shed. I really wouldn't worry too much." Mia thought for a second, and then she turned to the foreigner. "He's one in a million," she ended. "And I really wouldn't get yourself too worried about _anything _that he may say. Best to stick to things that make sense," she said, winking, and Piers smiled warmly.

He had been tormenting himself all through the night, anxious as to what these villagers would be like. Whatever people said, first impressions did affect how you would think of things in the future… but maybe he had worried a little too much. After all, everyone was different, and just because these people were strange to him, he shouldn't have grouped them into one type of person.

"Thank you for your help," he said to the girl in front of him. She could have only been seventeen, and the very thought made Piers sigh. Seventeen was nothing to him. He had seen many times that amount of years, whatever his looks foretold. Then it occurred to him that he didn't even know her name.

"I'm Mia by the way," she suddenly said, as if she had read his mind. "Would you like to go and talk to someone about this matter then? I should think that people would be starting to get up by now."

"Yes, it's best that I tell someone as soon as possible, then the problem's off my back as well. That will be a large weight lifted from my heart," Piers answered, dropping his shoulders and relishing in the cold air, the Sun in his face. "The quicker I tell someone the quicker something can be done, right?"

"Right. I just hope it's nothing too serious," Mia answered, and at this Piers' face fell. Mia looked up at him questioningly.

"It depends, but an amount of uncertainty is healthy. The danger may not come, but something tells me that it will. It has a hunger for this land – I can feel it," he murmured, lowering his eyes. Mia turned away, slightly unnerved by his words.

"Well," she said, wanting to get off the matter. The morning had been too beautiful to be ruined by such bad news. She would leave it to people in higher stature than her to deal with such problems. "Let's go and meet the Warlord then, shall we?"

"Yes, that would be good," Piers answered, nodding his head and resuming a look of determination. He wanted this over and done with. After that, he would just go with the flow of things.

* * *

Things weren't going too well for Alex. He stood now, leaning against the trunk of a large oak, his arms folded in front of him. His long hair brushed about his face, but it didn't deter him from his thoughts. He had heard about last night; he always knew what was going on, and the news of a strange ship in the middle of the night was no exception.

It didn't take much for Alex to put two and two together.

He tucked his gloved hands further under his arms and looked up to the clear sky. As soon as that fool Kyle had been up, and doing the job that he rarely did – keeping watch upon the coast – Alex himself had moved to the sea in a matter of seconds.

"Well why walk, when you can become the air itself," Alex muttered with a smirk. He furrowed his eyebrows. The ship was… something else. A great prow with the head of some sort of beast at the front of the ship, it was carved magnificently, and to precise point. Alex had no doubt that its efficiency was just as perfect as well. Its smooth streamline sides, the curves of its shape, and the immense sails that aimed straight for heaven, as though they were about the pierce through the sky. This was not a ship that came from anywhere local.

It seemed that they had visitors. But the stranger had been no where in sight. Alex had looked, had sensed for any new auras, but the air was still and at rest, and no person was in sight upon the ship. It could only mean one thing. That person – whoever they were – had land beneath their feet, and they were probably close.

Suddenly the air stirred, and a wind picked up, strangely billowing from the depths of the surrounding forest out towards the sea. Alex's versatile eyebrows now rose upon his forehead.

"Well that's unnatural," he said mildly, standing up straight and unfolding his arms. He turned, narrowing his eyes as he stared into the dark shadows, but he didn't have long to wait before the answer came charging out of the woods.

"Sheba?"

The girl stopped in her tracks, and with a grin on her face she turned to see Alex watching her with an assessing gaze. "Hello there!" she said brightly, quickly hiding something behind her back. "Why are you up so early?"

Alex nearly snorted. "Don't you think asking something like that is only slightly hypocritical? I could ask why you are up so early, though I'm quite sure," he said, leaning slightly to the left as if he were trying to see what she was hiding, "you won't be telling me _that._"

Sheba laughed slightly nervously, and started edging away from the Mercury Adept. "It's nothing important!" she said in a higher voice than normal, but then she regained posture and shook her head dramatically. "Now you know that curiosity is a bad thing," she said, brimming with a confidence that amused and annoyed Alex at the same time. "This here that I'm hiding has nothing to do with you, and you're not going to find out either!"

"Oh really," Alex answered, resuming a bored voice. "It's that important, is it?"

"Well… it could be important – it depends. It's not for you anyway, and that's what counts," Sheba answered, scratching her head awkwardly, her other hand still behind her back.

When Alex didn't say anything she started to walk away again, quickening her pace. She grinned. "I'll go and take this to show to Felix then!" she yelled over her shoulder. "Bye!"

This time Alex did snort. "The blacksmith isn't even open yet," he called in a calm tone. "Please do get your facts correct little girl, before you go through the troubles of stealing other people's property."

Sheba stopped in her tracks. How did he know? He couldn't read her mind, could he? No! Of course he couldn't, he was one with Mercury; _a weakling, _Sheba thought sourly.

"Well I'll climb through the window then!" she shouted at him, forcing herself to smile. Alex only smirked at her, knowing he had touched a nerve, and for a moment they stared at each other, penetrating each other with their gaze.

Finally Sheba turned with the distinct noise of a 'humph', and walked away into the group of houses and out of sight.

Alex remained still, following her with his gaze until she disappeared from his view. Then he relaxed and turned to look at one of the larger buildings. Smoke poured out of its chimney, and the land about its walls was well kept; the thatched roof was newly laid.

"Too many strange things are happening," he said out loud. "And not enough is being done. If anyone has any power, it will be that brat who's in place as our warlord." _And if he can't do anything, _Alex thought, and again a smirk played across his lips, his cold, icy-blue eyes unblinking, _I will have to take things into my own hands…

* * *

_

Mia breathed in deeply. "It certainly is a beautiful day!" she exclaimed happily.

"Isn't that obvious?" Piers answered, a wide smile upon his face. Mia grinned, enjoying his company and forgetting any worries she had.

They continued slowly towards the largest of the thatched houses. It was still fairly early, and no doubt people were having their breakfast. Chimneys started to smoke, and a couple of small children chased each other playfully across their path, oblivious to the foreigner who watched them with his golden eyes.

"Aah, so adorable," Mia said, as the youngsters giggled, and accidentally tumbled through the flowers that had been neatly planted under the window of Isaac's house. Dora certainly wouldn't be too happy when she found out.

"They're so small," Piers said sympathetically, and Mia looked sidelong at him quizzically.

"Yes Piers, they're children. They're meant to be small," she said teasingly. Piers smiled, and looked away.

"I know, but there aren't many children where I come from," he said quietly, and when seeing Mia's questioning look, he explained himself. "Lemurian people, we have much larger life spans than others. Because of this the old get older but children grow at the same rate as these two."

"I see," Mia answered, not sure if she understood him. "So how old are you?"

Piers looked slightly startled at the question, and his face seemed to redden. Mia pursed her lips to stop herself smiling. "I – I'm twenty-four," he stammered, looking away.

"Really? But you just said that Lemurians have large life spans. Surely you can't be _that _young, can you?"

"Yes, I am… I'm twenty-four years of age. I look it don't I?" piers said, tensing slightly, and going even redder. She was too clever, but then again, he shouldn't have even brought up the topic, seeing as he was so touchy about it. Mia, knowing full well that he was lying, tried to hide her wide grin.

"So who is this warlord then?" Piers asked, changing the subject.

"His name is Ivan, and so far he's thought up a successful plan for every problem that's come upon us," Mia answered warmly. "That's why he was chosen as our warlord. Be careful when you talk to him; he knows when you're lying, or when you're hiding something. Don't think you can outgo his intelligence," she said warningly. Piers nodded, his face returning back to its normal pale colour.

All of a sudden, the wind picked up, blowing straight into their faces from the inland. Piers, taking no chances, immediately placed his hand upon the hilt of the sword at his side, and Mia tensed next to him, alert.

A second later, and Sheba, upon noticing the two, stopped in front of them, a little exasperated.

"Hello," she said forcefully, her hands behind her back. "How are you this fine morning Mia? And hello good stranger," she said to Piers, who pulled a face. "I'm in a hurry so I'll talk to you later," she said quickly, and started to move away again.

"Bye Sheba! It's been nice talking to you," Mia called out as the short blond adept ran off with an amazing amount of speed and agility. She lifted her hand in answer, not looking back. The wind left with her, and the air became still once more.

"Well that was all very sudden," Piers wondered, his eyes wide.

"I don't have any doubts that Sheba's up to no good again," Mia answered, continuing to walk once more. "She's a lovely person really – not good on first impressions."

"I can see," Piers answered, walking with Mia. "I suppose I'm going to be meeting many new people now it seems I will be staying here to help you," he said, and Mia nodded.

* * *

Meanwhile Sheba made her way to the village's blacksmith. She slowed her step, breathing lightly despite all the running she had been doing, and pouted. Alex was right, as he always was. There wasn't even any smoke coming out of the chimney let alone the shop being open. Was anyone even at home? She thought dryly to herself.

Sheba stepped forwards. Making sure the long object was tucked securely in her belt and hidden by her tunic. Cupping her hands and peering into the small open window, she saw that no one was there.

"Damn," Sheba said aloud, and quickly glanced about for signs of any people before heading round to the back of the house. There, to her delight, was a window that she could fit through. If Felix was home, he'd be in for a surprise.

Quietly she lifted her leg up, and hoisted herself through.

* * *

"Hello?"

Something fluttered opaquely before his eyes, something smothered in darkness that interfered with his dreams. It slowly came to a standstill and the dark was starting to prevail once more. Then it started again.

"For crying out loud, wake up!"

"Wha's'it?" he asked sleepily, and slowly turned away from the voice. The sheets were so warm, he was so comfortable.

"Don't turn your back to me, I'm talking to you!" the person grabbed hold of his arm and tried to pull him back. Blearily, heavily, Felix opened his tired eyes. Not to his surprise, Sheba was there, and like normal, raring to get down to do what she did best – annoy him.

"Quickly get up!" she moaned, leaning back with her fingers still clung about his forearm. "I need to show you something!"

"Sheba," Felix muttered, closing his eyes and opening them once more. Sheba paused, looking at him questioningly.

"What?"

"Sheba… It's early in the morning! And how the hell did you get in here?"

Sheba merely grinned. "I climbed through the window," she said simply, and Felix sighed.

Then it suddenly dawned on him, and his eyes widened immeasurably.

"Sheba," he said again.

"Stop saying my nam -"

"Sheba could you GET OUT OF MY ROOM?" he yelled angrily at her, and she laughed, turning to walk out and wait for him there.

"Don't worry," she chuckled naughtily. "I didn't see anything."

Felix, fuming at the mouth and bright red in the face, got out of the bed, butt-naked, and hurriedly pulled his tunic over his head. Then, just as quick, he tugged up his trousers and pulled his messy long hair into a ponytail. Then he pushed open the door, a little forcefully to see what Sheba had to say and, hopefully, get it over and done with quick.

Sheba turned and looked at him, still grinning. Her eyes twinkled beneath her neatly cut fringe. "Hello," she said again. Felix frowned.

"What is it that you want Sheba?" he asked quietly but audibly. Sheba, in answer, carefully pulled the object she had been hiding out from under her tunic.

In her hand was a small dagger. Its blade was made from tinted black metal, along with the black handle, and it was genuinely crafted. Felix did not touch it, but he stared.

"And where did you get that from? I don't suppose you paid for it?" he asked, slightly scornful.

"But look at it," Sheba answered excitedly. "I found it – didn't steal it – and it's probably a clue, or it belonged to the person who -" Felix immediately clamped his hand over her mouth.

"You know my family is just next door," he hissed. "Think before you start yelling your head off…"

"I wasn't yelling!" Sheba yelled as she pulled his hand off her, and glared at him. "I'm trying to help!"

"And letting the whole world know what we're talking about isn't helping at all," Felix replied. "Now calm down, will you?"

Sheba seethed.

"Didn't bother keeping _your _voice down earlier, did you?" she muttered darkly, gaining a quick stare from Felix. "Fine," she said at last. "So what are we going to do about this dagger then?"

"Nothing," he answered simply.

"What!" What the hel -" Again Sheba found her mouth being covered, and again she pushed Felix away from her. For a moment they glared, just as furious as the other.

"I don't know what your problem is," Felix said at last. "I don't know why you can't just talk quietly; why you have to make such a fuss."

"One, I am not yelling," Sheba fumed. "Two, can you stop trying to suffocate me, or I'll do something drastic with this dagger."

"That dagger wouldn't be able to hurt me," Felix answered flatly.

"And why not?" Sheba asked, trying to sound very sombre, yet knowing she was getting close to the truth. Felix, however, was unaware.

"It's not from around these parts," he went on, "so it's not a weapon of you-know-who. However, the small jewel encrusted in the hilt, and the way it's almost like a black metal – which normally isn't possible – I would probably say that it's been disabled."

"Disabled? And what does that mean?" Sheba pressed on, leaning towards Felix, unnerving him. He paused.

"Perhaps you should take it back to where you found it," he said quietly. "I wouldn't mess with things I don't understand."

"But," Sheba said loudly, holding the dagger up in his face. "It might help." Alex seemed troubled about something and I saw a foreigner this morning with Mia!"

"You did?" Felix asked, suddenly interested.

"Yes! They were going towards the warlord's house. This dagger," she said, staring at it. "It may belong to him… we could find out! It may be the answer to…"

"The answer to what exactly, Sheba?"

"The answer to… something…" Sheba trailed off, and Felix inwardly smirked.

"Why don't you go and take the dagger back where you found it then?" he said, as if he was rapping this conversation up. "Seeing as we know it's got no use, and is not going to be of much help."

Sheba pursed her lips, unsure of what to do.

"I will work this out," she said finally. "With or without your help, but I will find the answer."

"That will be without m help then," Felix stated, turning to go back into his bedroom." Remember to lock the door behind you." _And I must remember to make that window smaller,_ he thought inwardly.

"Uh, Felix?" Stop."

"Felix froze, and glared over his shoulder. "Yes?" he asked, his voice slightly cold.

"You have a shop to open. Work to do, people to see." Sheba narrowed her eyes, knowing she was touching a nerve, and very much enjoying it. "You can't go back to bed," she explained.

Felix only answered by tensing his shoulders.

"Well, I'll see you later on!" Sheba said cheerfully, and walked out, whistling a tune. Felix, however, ran a hand through his hair, and sighed. She was right, and this fact alone thoroughly annoyed him. But, there was nothing he could do.

* * *

**You should know the roll - Constructive critiscm and thoughts _needed,_ so Please Review!**


	2. Fog And Mist, Disturbed

**I Came, I Saw, I Conquered**

**Well, I forgot the Disclaimer in the first chapter, which is pretty bad of me, so here it is!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Golden Sun or its characters.**

**Well I've got that over with. I won't be doing one for each chapter - it's just one of those things that I don't see the point of. Anyway, thank you all very much for the reviews! It didn't take you long, did it? And it helps an author a lot, especially when they're always getting writer's block like me. Damn writer's block, burn it to hell.**

**_A bunch of rioting Satanists: How dare you insssult the Devil'sss domain?! For thissss you shall pay at the hand of Lucifer and Beelzebub! Mwahahaha!_**

**_Piers: Quick! Run for the hills! They're throwing petrol bombs at us! (_Runs off screaming)**

**abstractmind: Ivan being a warlord _is _cool! And a little odd. Thank you for the FIRST review, it brings a tear to my eye, aah. (whipes a tear from her eye) I think I need a tissue...**

**PyroDragon88:Ya I did try hard with this fic to make the characters how I would think they'd act, so thank you, and Ivan will have a big role! Hooray! Piers/Mia? Yes, it will probably be so, n-n. Alex being evil? Well, we can only wait and see what he's up to...**

**Alex: I'm innocent! Honest!**

**Ivan: (kicks Alex out of the way) I read "Mercury's Light"! I must say that I enjoyed it very much! Yes I did!**

**ShadeXH: Yes! One of my no1 priorities. To write longer chapters. Stories are so much better that way (excepting some fics). Well, thank you for the review, and I will carry on! I think you'll like this chapter n-n**

**S.P.Q.T: I'm glad you find it funny. I don't want it getting too serious on me or I might start crying (hell, that would be sad). Anyway, thank you very much, and I agree. film slogans are way too clichéd.**

**Favri the Fisher: Yeah, even I'm finding it hard to keep up, it all seems so confusing. It's one great big conspiracy! n- n- n- can I wink anymore?**

**Please Read, Review, and Enjoy!**

* * *

**Chapter Two: Fog And Mist, Disturbed  
**"Just remember one thing," Mia said in a clear voice, laying her hand on Piers' shoulder. "Please don't appear too surprised when you see our warlord as so many have – and said so – in the past. I know for a fact that it annoys him, whether he shows it or not." 

Piers nodded, suddenly looking very apprehensive. "Uh, Mia?" he asked, and she looked at him quizzically. "You are coming in too?"

"Yes I'll come in, unless you don't want -"

"No! I mean, no. I would like you to come in with me," he replied, rather flustered. "It's just, this is a whole new place for me. It's all rather daunting."

"Yes, I understand," Mia answered. "Well, let's go in then, and get it all over and done with."

It was true that Mia was interested in what Piers had to say. It wasn't just the way he had appeared that morning, or what he had come to tell her. It wasn't even the deep sadness and knowing he held in his golden orbs that told Mia that something was wrong. She felt it in herself; a new nagging sensation. A mixture of anxiety and dread that steadily grew inside her the moment she felt Piers' presence by her side.

Slowly they entered, lowering their heads under the low thatched roof of the building. On entering, the darkness pressed in on them like an ebony blanket, and for a moment, both were blinded, waiting slowly to adjust to the light.

"Hello," Mia said, trying to sound calm. "This is important. I have come with a visitor who has news for the warlord. May we please talk?"

It was quiet.

Then someone lit a candle, and all the curves and surfaces of the room lit up with a soft red, glimmering light. A light breeze blew in through the open door, bringing with it the scent of the open sea. Piers' eyes widened, and Mia's face fell into a warm smile.

"Hello Master Kraden," she said genially. "May we talk with the warlord? It's," she said, looking sidelong at Piers, "rather important."

Kraden paused, appearing rather mesmerised by Mia's presence. "Oh, err, yes, of course!" He turned to Piers. "And who might you be, young traveller?" he asked. "You don't look from these parts – your clothes, they're very unusual."

Piers cleared his throat. "My name is Piers," he said, nodding slightly. "I come from… a place where you might not have heard of."

"Oh ho!" Kraden said exultantly, and he held the front of the book he was reading up to the candlelight. Squinting at its cover, Piers read 'A History of Ancient Alchemy & the First Age of The Golden Sun'. He raised an eyebrow. "Come," Kraden carried on, leaning over the table. "Tell me then. I do love to share a little knowledge with -"

"Kraden?" Mia suddenly interrupted. "Could we please talk with Ivan now?"

"Oh! Yes of course." Kraden got up and re-adjusted his half-moon glasses upon his nose. He bustled out of the room and out of sight. As the two sat silent for a while, they heard the low inaudible mumblings of Kraden and who they could only imagine was the warlord himself.

Then suddenly, he entered. Piers had trouble keeping his face straight, but he managed it. Ivan stared at him for a moment, then sat at the table and gestured for his two guests to do the same.

"What is it that's the problem then?" he asked, his voice only starting to crack. He was fairly short with a mop of blond hair. He sat erectly and with pride, and watched Piers with unblinking eyes.

This was the only chance Piers had. He might as well tell this warlord everything, remembering Mia's words. Again he cleared his throat.

"I am Piers, and have come to warn you of an arising problem from the North. Danger is coming, and it's arriving at a quick pace. Something must be done before time runs out, and the doom falls upon you," he said seriously.

_Well, that sounded pretty awful, _Piers thought, taking in a deep breath. He looked to Ivan, who was sitting in silence, staring blankly at him. Piers immediately felt very uncomfortable.

"There is something contained within these lands that the Northern people want?" he abruptly said, after a long moment of silence. Piers, dumbstruck, could only nod his head. _How did he know? _he wondered, but when he looked back to the warlord, he was met only with understanding in those light violet eyes…

* * *

Something was happening. Alex looked up, and immediately sensed it. _I need to be somewhere else, somewhere where truths are being unveiled,_ he thought, standing upright. He took a step forward, then another – 

"Alex!" He froze at the sound of his name. "Alex, wait! Where are you going?"

"And what is it to you?" he snapped as Isaac ran up, to stop in front of him.

"Look, you're the first person I've seen this morning," Isaac answered as if this explained everything. "But too many things have been happening in – the last few hours!"

"If you mean the ship, I already know."

"…You do? Oh well, that's one thing less to tell you then. But if you know that, then you'll understand that the foreigner who it belongs to is here. He was with Mia, and they've gone to see Ivan."

Alex looked at him thoughtfully. It was slowly starting to make sense to him. He furrowed his eyebrows and looked out to the sea. Trying to suppress a smirk that was attempting to form upon his lips, he asked, "How do you know this?"

"Well, as you know, my father is the coastguard to the village. He went to check out the ship after Ivan had that vision, and of course it was there. He came back about an hour ago with the news. Have you seen it yet? It's one hell of a ship!"

"Yes, I have seen it. How do you know about the foreigner?"

"Well, I haven't actually seen him, but I met Sheba just a second ago. She's got some kind of suspicions about goings on – I'm not sure what. Anyway, she saw him, and she had some kind of a dagger that she reckons belongs to him. I have to say it doesn't look like it comes from around these parts, but still…"

_This nut's speech patterns are awful, _Alex thought mildly. _How are you supposed to understand what he's saying? _"Where did you see Sheba?" he asked uninterestedly.

"Err," Isaac thought for a second, looking to the side. "I saw her back in the village. She looked really lost in thought about something, so I asked her why. She said she'd just been to see Felix." Isaac shook his head slowly. "No wonder she was on a different planet. Sometimes _I _find it hard to understand what Felix is about."

Isaac paused, waiting to see what Alex would say about the information he'd given him. Alex merely blinked.

"You are too vague," he concluded, closing his eyes. Before Isaac could say anything Alex's body clouded over with a misty blue light, and vanished.

* * *

_I was so close, _Sheba thought angrily to herself. "I was so close!" she said loudly and immediately tried to suppress her frustration. She sat on the grassy slope, the sun bearing down on the back of her bare neck. The dagger was laid in her lap, covered by her shadow. "I _know _something is wrong here," she murmured thoughtfully, stroking one finger along the dull blade. "Why am I the only one that can see that?" 

"Oh I wouldn't say you were the only one," said a quiet voice right in front of her. Sheba started, and looked up to see Alex standing before her.

"What do you want Alex?" she asked sourly, not bothering to hide the dagger this time.

"I would like to look at the weapon you have, if I may," he answered in a mocking voice.

"Why?" Sheba snapped. "You knew I had it in the first place. Oh, and for your information I did _not _steal it."

"Ah, I am most sorry about that. I must have got it wrong." Alex moved forward and sat on the grass slope to her left. "May I look at it?" Slowly, untrustingly, Sheba handed it to him, and he held it carefully in his hands, saying nothing.

"Well?" Sheba said after a while, getting irritated.

"Where did you find it?" Alex asked, still inspecting the dagger.

Sheba was about to say something, then closed her mouth. Why was he so interested? _Wait, that's not a hard question,_ Sheba thought. _He's probably up to something like normal. _

Alex noticed her pause. "Don't lie to me Sheba. I'll know," he said scathingly.

Sheba raised her eyebrow. _Who does he think he is? I suppose he thinks he can read my mind_, _the nutcase. _"I found it in the forest," she said, looking away. "And before you ask why I was out in the middle of night in the dangerous woods, it's because Garet threatened me to go and look for Aaron, his younger brother."

"Huh," Alex said indignantly and Sheba scowled, knowing it was all just a show. Did he care about her? No, of course not. "That's not very nice of him is it? And why was his brother out in the forest?" Alex asked, handing the blade back to her, and trying to smile. Sadly it just looked like a malevolent smirk.

Sheba sighed. "Sleepwalking. Are you finished with this interrogation now Alex?" she asked, wanting him to leave her alone so she could think.

"Please, don't sound so derisive. It doesn't suit you," Alex stated, and Sheba scowled. He heaved a sigh, hardly noticing her annoyed expression. "Well, I suppose I have other things to do," he explained. "Thank you for your time." He got to his feet.

* * *

The small boat rocked abruptly upon the calm sea. 

"Whoah!" he yelled, and quickly grabbed out, only just catching the net in time before he lost it to the waves. "What on earth was _that_?"

Above his small fishing boat, the seagulls squawked and, in a flurry flew towards the coastline. The man watched, wide-eyed.

Then ahead of him, where the mist was just starting to disappear from the surface of the wide ocean, a great cloud of seagulls lifted from the gentle waves, disturbed.

Quickly, he hooked the line of the large net onto the side of the boat, and pulled it up on the other side. Then he headed to the helm, and held a hand above his eyes to block out the sun's rays.

Something was moving smoothly through the fog. It looked like a faded dream, or a distant memory as it moved serenely, casting ripples to its sides, but as it slowly got closer, he was sure he was not imagining things.

* * *

Sheba frowned, and looked out to sea. A new breeze was blowing inland, an unnatural one. It disturbed her, and she got to her feet. 

"Yes?" Alex asked, mistaking her motivations for a want of his attention.

"Shut up," Sheba said, holding up her hand. She stared out onto the horizon, but could see nothing. A sudden strange mist lay upon the ocean's surface, close to the cliffs, and clouded the view. "There's something out there," she whispered, her eyes trying to penetrate the obstacle.

"Excuse me?"

"Can't you feel it? Something's coming." Immediately Sheba started to run for the coastline.

* * *

A sudden dread filled his veins, and he made a small noise of fear in his throat. A looming shadow was heading straight for his small fishing boat, and as the mist slowly cleared, he saw two figures stand up on the bow of the ship. One lifted an object, and held it under their chin, aiming it for him. 

He brought his hand away from his eyes, and his arm hung loosely by his side. He was paralysed, already knowing his fate.

The twang of the arrow echoed repeatedly across the placid waves.

It brought with it the darkness of his vision.

* * *

"What the hell was that?!" Sheba suddenly yelled, and rubble fell from the side of the cliff. She was getting too close to the edge. She took a step back, and turned. "Something's just happened," she said urgently to Alex who was standing a little way back. "Something that's not good." 

"Like what?" he asked, as she started to walk past him, quickening her pace with each step. "What!" Alex yelled, grabbing her arm and holding her back.

"Get off me!" Sheba growled, and pulled herself away from him. She ran.

For a moment, Alex stood, immobilised. Sheba had just sensed, or seen something out at sea; something that was just another clue that concealed the truth to this entire mess. What was he even doing here anyway? If he wanted answers, he should have been at the warlord's home, where the truths were probably being uncovered that very moment. If Isaac hadn't come and interrupted him, he would be there now.

_And what of that dagger? _He thought. When no answer came, he cleared his mind, concentrating. Then, he disappeared from sight, leaving only a faint aura in the troubled air.

* * *

Mia now sat, very rigid in her seat. Piers was silent, and Ivan was completely motionless, and neither of them had talked for the last twenty minutes. 

_And yet, _Mia wondered, _there is a connection here that I can't seem to understand. _She could almost see attachment between the two as they stared into each other's eyes, and it unnerved her to no end. She sighed, her confusion beyond her.

Then someone burst into the room and at long last, the invisible thread between the two seated was broken. Ivan blinked, and saw Sheba panting slightly in the doorway. She held in her eyes a certain fear and bewilderment, and beyond that, excitement.

"Something has happened," she stated clearly. "And I think you should all come."

"Where is Alex?" Ivan asked, not moving from where he sat. Sheba, a little taken back by this seemingly irrelevant question, thought for a second.

"I – I'm not sure. He was at the coast with me when I saw the mist; when it… it came…" she trailed off, and looked down. Ivan nodded slightly, looking deeply concerned.

"Mia," he suddenly said, and she looked at him quizzically. "You have known Alex the longest. I need you to find him and ask him what is happening." He turned to Piers sitting before him. "Piers, I thank you for your information, and I give you my deepest regards." Piers lowered his head when Ivan said this, and again Mia wondered what had gone on between them in those last twenty minutes. "I would like you to find Garet, and ask him to return here with you."

There was a silence. It had been a beautiful morning and a promising day for Mia, but now the dread seemed to hang in the air like a dank smell. She could almost feel the worry apprehensiveness drifting off the people around her, and yet she had no idea what was going on. She had never felt so confused, and it was almost frustrating for her.

"Well," Sheba said finally, exasperated. "What do you want me to do? I'm not useless, you know!" She placed her hands on her hips, glaring threateningly at Ivan.

"Sheba, I would like you to find Isaac and Felix, for certain reasons," he answered, glancing at Piers. "Tell them to go to the coast and meet me there."

"Ok then!" Sheba said, and was about to leave, when she suddenly stopped. "But, what about Jenna?"

For the first time, Ivan smiled. "She's already waiting," he answered simply.

* * *

"So Sheba," Isaac asked as he followed the younger girl through the village. "What's all of this that's going on then? I mean, yesterday everything's pretty much normal, and it's not even midday today and everyone's worried, and strange things are happening, and we're having visitors -" 

"Yes, I know, and sorry, I don't know," Sheba answered. Isaac looked blankly at the back of her head.

"Huh?" he said.

"You heard me. Now where's Felix got to?" Sheba asked, looking from side to side. He had not been at the blacksmith's, and neither had Jenna. _Argh! _She said in her head. _This is all I need. Why can I never find that idiot?_

"I dunno," Isaac said mildly. Truthfully he didn't really care. To him, Felix was a barrier between Jenna and himself. One that he didn't seem able to knock down.

They turned the corner and fell on the path towards the cliffs. The now clear sea was in view, and the breeze it brought with it towards the land came in refreshingly. Walking towards them was none other than the person they were looking for and he appeared not to have noticed them yet.

"Felix!" Sheba yelled, and ran towards him. Isaac followed, a little disheartened. He looked up, and stopped in his tracks, watching them tensely. Sheba came to a standstill, Isaac stopping behind her. "Felix, we need to meet Ivan at the cliffs. Oh, and I was right, and you were wrong!"

Felix raised an eyebrow in reply. "What are you talking about exactly?" he asked. "Are you telling me you've discovered the great secret of the 'Black Dagger'?"

Sheba scowled. "No, but something dangerous is coming, right for our land!"

"And what is it that happened this morning that you saw out at sea?" Isaac asked, joining in the conversation. Sheba paused.

"I didn't actually see _anything_, because this sudden mist appeared right at the bottom of the cliffs." She explained to him. "But it was more of a sensing thing – I _sensed _something happening, and I've got Ivan to back me up, because he seems to understand everything that's going on. He's sorting it all out now."

Isaac snorted. "You talk like he's some great… superhero or something. He's a blond fifteen year-old with a strange ability to see visions and… other strange stuff."

"Hey! He's our appointed _warlord,_" Sheba retorted, up and ready for an argument. "If he knew were saying this about him -"

"Perhaps we should go and carry on with this argument by the cliffs," Felix intervened quietly. "You said that's where we're meant to be meeting Ivan."

Sheba huffed. "Fine then. Let's go." She marched past Felix and on towards their destination. "And I'll show you where I _sensed _the thing out at sea," she said over her shoulder as Isaac pulled a face at her. They followed the Jupiter Adept to the coast, and waited.

"When did he say he would be arriving," Isaac asked sarcastically after a while. "Any time soon?"

Sheba ignored him and stood fairly close to the edge. She looked out to sea, shielding her eyes. "The mist, it's completely disappeared," she murmured. "It didn't hang far out like it normally does in the morning – it suddenly appeared around near the bottom of the cliffs, out of nowhere."

"You might have been seeing things," Isaac pointed out, and he quickly got an answer.

"No _Isaac. _You think you're seeing things when you're surrounded by shadows, and it's the middle of the night, not in early morning when you're wide awake and with someone else who has just as good eyesight as yourself," she replied touchily.

_Well she's in a bad mood this morning, _Isaac thought. _…Hey, wait a minute; she said she was with someone! _"Sheba, who were you with?"

Sheba suddenly bit her lip, feeling uncomfortable in Felix and Isaac's gaze. "I was with… Alex," she muttered.

"Why?" Felix abruptly asked, and she glanced at him. He returned her stare, looking passive as he did for much of the time. Unless someone was bothering him, of course.

"Uh," Sheba said, trying to think. "He was interested in… the dagger. So I was showing it to him – though I didn't really want to," she added sourly. "Then I felt that sensation that something was really wrong, and that's when I came here, to the cliff-edge."

Felix did not answer.

"You and your sensations," Isaac muttered darkly when it was clear that Felix was not going to say anything more. Sheba glared at him, but he didn't seem to notice. "No wonder you're so full of our warlord."

"But you agreed he'd be a good leader," Sheba snapped at him.

"I know, and we used to be great friends. But I think the power's getting to his head -"

"Well I would like to see you do a better job, you stuck up -"

"Sheba, be careful," Felix suddenly said, looking off to the right.

Isaac took a step forward, returning Sheba's attention to him. "Who are you calling stuck up? I'm simply saying my _opinion _on things, and if you don't like it, then tough! Sheesh," he added. "What's got into you today? You're not normally this grumpy."

As the argument became heated, neither noticed the low echoing noise that seemed to rumble off the cliffs' sides. Sheba, back turned to the sea, was infuriated.

"Look! Just because I've got to grips with the fact that something is going drastically wrong, and will probably have a great effect on _us_, because I know that a danger is headed straight for our own homeland and am trying to do something about it, I'm not going to be exactly _over the moon_, am I? I should be asking what's wrong with you!" she yelled at Isaac.

"Nothing's wrong with me Sheba! But whatever the situation is, it would be easier for us all if you calmed down a bit!" he retaliated.

"And I can tell you… right… now… what the..?" Sheba suddenly looked down, and watched in horror as her foot seemed to slip of the steep edge of the soaring cliffs.

And she fell.

* * *

**Nooooooooo! A cliffhanger! Literally!**

**Piers: Do you think that's where the word originates from? It could be...**

**What? Oh, yeah. I suppose. **

**Piers: O-o Well don't be too interested then.**

**(holds up a carrot threateningly)**

**Piers: o Not the carrot!**

**Review or he get's it!**

**Piers: Please.. do it.... it hurts! It hurts!**


	3. Can You See Through Darkness?

**I came, I saw, I conquered**

**I've just re-edited this chapter because there were a few mistakes and the breaks were messing up! Anyway here it is, and probably a lot easier to read... ;**

**PyroDragon88: Phew! I'm glad you like my Ivan. Him being a warlord _does _sound pretty weird at first. I am going to be doing a little lighthouseshipping, but it's not going to be heavy or anything, so don't be too sad. All I can say is "Sorry Ivan!" ; Anyway, I read Golden Sun: Demonic Wars and it's really good! but then, you've probably seen my review so you'll know that already. Carry on with it!**

**ShadeXH: Yes! Good ol' long chapters. I'm going to try and make them even longer, so watch out! But I just kept getting writer's block with this chapter which is SO annoying! I can't help but laugh at your next bit! I have made her annoying haven't I? She's a meddler! XD Please don't shake your fist at me! It's scary! I _hope_ you'll like this chapter, because Alex does appear to be a bad person, but I really don't want to say anything or lose a reviewer, so I'm really sorry I'm not saying anything more! Hahahahaha! **

**Woops! I'm sorry about my pairings! No one seems to like them! Oh well, TOUGH! I'm keeping them! Walks off laughing maniacally**

**Please Read, Review, And Enjoy! _(Reviews Help A LOT!)_**

* * *

**Chapter Three Can You See Through Darkness?**

"_Why? I just don't understand you sometimes, Alex." She stared at him hard, eyebrows furrowed, eyes twinkling. He stared right back at her passively._

"_What don't you understand?" he asked._

"_How you do it. You're different; in a special way, I suppose you could put it," the old lady explained. "Ever since I took you in when I found you wandering around by yourself, you were so young then, you can probably hardly remember. But you've always been... different."_

"_Is that so bad?"_

"_No! Of course it isn't. It's just, that I can never understand what you're about. What you're thinking, you know? And you never seem to take interest in others. Mia asked you a question and you hardly noticed her."_

"_She already knew the answer; she was just asking me to make sure. I'm not going to waste my time in answering, especially when she had just interrupted my thoughts."_

"_But that's not the point," she said, a little exasperatedly. "It's like you've got all your priorities wrong. You should at least try and make an effort Alex, or your life is going to be very difficult." She looked at him kindly. "I'm only trying to help, remember," she added._

_Alex scowled and pulled away from her comforting hand. "Well perhaps I don't need your help," he remarked, not very kindly. "Now if you don't mind, I would like to be left alone."_

_Infuriated, she rested her hands on her old hips. "You are twelve Alex, twelve!" She stared at him for a moment, and then grabbed his wrist angrily._

"_Get off me!" Alex whinged, feeling thoroughly humiliated. _

"_Be quiet," she answered, dragging him out into the cold hallway and towards a particularly decrepit door. Despite her age, she had strength enough to keep control of the boy. "I've had enough of it all," she growled. "Your behaviour towards Mia and myself is appalling. Perhaps you should think instead of improving your manners and your attitude instead of all these strange ideas you come up with. I've had enough!" she said again, and pulled open the door, throwing Alex in._

_He stood, and gazed at her, completely bewildered at being treated like this. "I hate you," he muttered sourly, not looking her in the eye. She made a huffing noise as if to say, 'you can think what you like, it doesn't make a difference'._

_Shutting the door in his face, she said loudly, "You're not coming out till I see fit. First you're rude to Mia, and then to me after everything I've done for you." And she turned the key in the lock before leaving the damp, icy corridor._

_Everything was silent. Alex glared moodily at a knot in the wooden door, his anger and humiliation swimming about his body. He pinched himself, the pain from it destroying some of the frustration that was almost disorientating him._

_He turned, and realised with a certain awe, that he had only been in this room once. It was a room, dark and dusty from years of misuse. Vapour seemed to stay in the air and the old surroundings gave off a dank musty smell of age. It was a room filled with leather bound books._

_Carefully he took a step forward, mesmerised by the tall shelves that seemed to hang over him as they stood to the ceiling. His eyes scanned across the endless spines, entranced and captivated. For so long he had had many questions, spinning endlessly in his mind. He was always listening, always, to everything that was said about him. And when he heard what the adults talked of it only made him more interested._

_Books. They would hold the answer, he was sure of it. No one would ever answer his enigmas in person; perhaps no one even could. Perhaps only books written by people long dead knew the answer._

'_The Age of the Titans', he read as he moved to the first bookshelf. Well, that was of no use, whoever the Titans were. Alex furrowed his eyebrows deciding to move instead to the 'H' section. History. _

'_Hamling', 'History of Art', 'History of the Ages'. He was getting close. 'History in Aspect', 'Historical Tactics', 'Icarus', 'Idealisms of the Future'. No, this was not right; Alex had gone too far. He took two steps back and landed back in the Histories. Moving forward, he scanned each book in turn. And found the one he had hoped to find. The one that may answer some of his questions. _

_Carefully he pulled it out and hefted the large book into his hands. Wiping the front of the book with his hand and ignoring the cloud of dust it formed in the rays of light coming from the high windows, he stared, smiling at the dark leather. 'A History of Alchemy & the First Age of the Golden Sun'._

_

* * *

_

_For hours Alex sat on the old, worn floor, cross-legged. The book was flat out in his lap with the last of the dying sun's rays falling on its old, un-read pages. He was absorbed in its words, its diagrams and explanations, its definitions and pictures of times long gone._

_In the time he sat in that room, punished by his guardian, he learnt and experienced more that he ever could have done, and he relished in it. He was gaining something he so desired: knowledge._

_Suddenly, but gently, there was a knock on the door. Alex started, and looked up, annoyed, and waited. "Alex?" said a quiet voice. "It's Mia." Alex said nothing, knowing she would continue. "I – I'm not meant to be doing this, but I can't bear the thought – the thought of you being locked up in there for so long. Alex?"_

"_I'm here. Open the door," Alex said, and got to his feet. He took the book with him._

"_What's that?" Mia asked as she pulled the door open and stood aside so Alex could leave. _

"_It is a book," he answered, not looking at her. "I give you my thanks." And he walked away, moving quickly past a door to a room in which, no doubt, the old lady was, and heading onwards into his own room. Mia stared, not sure what to think, before slowly shutting the door and turning the key in the lock. She could only suppose, and hope that he was grateful._

_

* * *

_

"Sheba!"

Felix threw himself onto the ground and stretched his arm out as far as he could. Sheba, in turn, tried to reach up from where she clung to a protruding rock. Her arms were wrapped around its sharp edges, and she was sobbing lightly. The sound of the waves crashing into the base of the cliffs reverberated up to them, bouncing off the cliff walls.

"Help me!" she screamed up at them, her feet slipping helplessly as she tried to push herself up in a vain attempt.

"Just – hang on!" Felix breathed. He couldn't go any further over the edge. If he did, he would fall as well, which wasn't go to make things any easier.

"I – I'll get help!" Isaac stuttered, and looked wildly about for any sign of people. The cliff tops were bare, and no person was in sight. "Oh, crap," he whispered as he felt the panic swell up inside him. _This was all my fault! If we hadn't had argued, _he thought, _If I hadn't kept on about it…_ He suddenly turned to the cliff edge. "I'm so sorry Sheba!" he called out.

"Isaac," Felix said sharply. "Go and find a rope – anything! Just be quick… Sheba can't hold on much longer."

Isaac nodded and set off back into the village. It was up to him now; he would have to find help or else Sheba would surely… No, he couldn't think like that. She will survive, she will…

* * *

Alex stood hidden in the shadow of the trees. To his right were cliffs, and the open, glittering sea; on his left were the worn tracks heading into the closely built houses. And yet ahead of him, and caught firmly in his gaze, was an incident unfolding before his eyes. And he stood, watching from a distance.

He saw Sheba fall, and Felix's vain attempts, and he was annoyed at how off guard all three of them were. Felix said something to Isaac who turned and sprinted out of sight, probably looking for help, and Alex's eyes merely narrowed.

"The naïvity of it all is irritating," he muttered in exasperation. "They have no idea what is happening – what is coming, what is hidden in these lands. They live in _ignorance._"

He turned away, ignoring Sheba's cries of help, and walked calmly back towards the village, only to find none other than Mia coming straight towards him. He sighed.

"What is it you want?" he asked, as she came to a stop before him.

"Alex, I know that you know something. I know that you have some understanding in what is going on, and I accept that you are not likely to say anything about it," she said seriously. She paused, and then carried on. "Ivan wants you to return to the warlord's house," she explained, not looking too happy, and Alex gazed at her for the first time in a while.

"You haven't changed," he said quietly. "Not from all those years ago."

"It was six years, Alex, not that long. And you are no different either," she said, glaring up at him. "You're still the same distant, arrogant person that you've always been, and sometimes -" she faltered. "Sometimes I hate you for it."

Alex said nothing.

* * *

_He wouldn't be able to take the books he had collected from the library with him, he knew that. But it didn't matter. All the information he wanted was up there, in his head, never to be lost. _

_He wedged his sharp knife between the two floorboards and carefully pulled it up. Then, he picked up the heavy books and dropped them into the darkness before replacing the board and hitting it into place with the hilt of the knife. _

_Getting to his feet, Alex stood for a moment and looked about himself. The room, just as dusty as any other room in this large building, still looked the same, unchanged for five years. He was seventeen now, and it was time for him to leave._

_And so he did._

_The old lady, their guardian had been ill for a while, and she lay in bed, delirious to all around her. Mia tried hard to help her, and to look after her. Alex didn't even open the door to look in and see how she was. He didn't even say goodbye, and only nodded slightly to Mia as she watched him walk out of the door. It was twilight, and peaceful out in the open. The calming sensation of the evening was something that was to relish in. The valley where they lived was beautiful._

_Not looking back once, not saying another word to Mia and blotting out all memories of his past, Alex set off, alone into the forest. His ambitions were great, but it was what he had learnt that had finally set him on his way. He knew where to go, or he thought he knew where to go, and if the Sun was setting behind him then he was heading East. East towards the seas of this land._

_The silence around him was deafening._

* * *

"Felix? What the hell are you up to?"

Felix glanced up, and saw his sister walking towards him. "Jenna," he said with immeasurable relief. "Have you seen Isaac yet? Did he send you?"

"Felix? I can't hold on… for much longer…" Sheba whispered, her eyes closing and opening slowly, as if she was very tired.

"Hang on – just hang on, please!" Felix said to her, and then turned to Jenna who was staring at him with some surprise – not least because he sounded like he _wanted _her to have met Isaac this morning.

"Is… Sheba – Is she?" she stuttered, putting everything together. "Ivan told me to come to the coast this morning, but I might have come quicker if I knew that – Oh Sheba! Hang on!" she yelled, and looked about her for something that might help, just as Isaac had done. Felix sighed.

Then something happened, that made everything that little bit more dangerous, and that little bit more terrifying. The cliff started to fall away even more.

Sheba screamed as her grip slipped, just as Isaac sprinted towards them with rope in his hands. Felix lost his balance and fell forward, grabbing out and taking hold of Sheba's wrist, and Jenna leapt forward, taking hold of her brother's left arm while digging her feet into the ground.

"QUICK!" She bellowed, as Isaac threw the rope over the side of the eroding cliff.

With her other hand, Sheba curled her fingers round its tightly twisted fibres and pushed her feet against the cliff. Isaac strode backwards, the rope wrapped around his arm, and he began to pull.

Slowly but surely, and after a fairly long time, Sheba was pulled to stable ground. She collapsed to the floor, filled with fatigue and exhaustion.

It was only after a while that she realized her fingers were still clung to Felix's hand.

* * *

"I really don't understand any of this at all," Garet complained two days after the incidents upon the cliff, and not least the strange happening out at sea. Ivan merely continued to sip from his cup.

"I will admit that morning went rather wrong," he said quietly. "At least Jenna showed up at the cliffs, and Mia found Alex. Not that it got us anywhere, of course."

"Hey! Sheba could have died!" Garet pointed out, and for a moment Ivan was taken aback.

"Forgive me," he mumbled. "I must have forgotten."

"Aaw, everyone makes mistakes," Garet literally roared, and thumped the Jupiter Adept on the back, knocking him forward. "Even you! As for me, I'm going to admit now that I make mistakes fairly often, but that doesn't make me useless now, does it? No, of course not!"

Ivan mumbled inaudibly, not that Garet noticed in the first place anyway. He sat back in the chair, contented to drink his beverage, and be lost in some simple and distant thoughts.

"Is the man by the name of Piers still staying at your house?" Ivan suddenly asked, and Garet stared blankly for a moment.

"Yes he is; he's a very good cook!" he answered, looking off into the distance. "Very good indeed." He was about to pat his stomach, then suddenly remembered he was in the presence of the warlord and thought better of it. "Aw well, it doesn't look like you're going to be explaining any of this to me," he said, looking rather bored. Ivan too, didn't look too happy about things at this moment.

"I'm afraid I don't understand it either, but I feel things are happening right under our noses, and we are unable to see it," Ivan said, and Garet nodded.

"I know; things happen to me all the time and I don't have a clue what's going on!" he exclaimed, quite seriously. "I mean, the wind blows and mucks up my hair! Why is that?"

Ivan stared.

Thankfully, just as things were starting to get strange, Mia burst in and saved the day.

"It's Alex," she murmured. "He's gone – left. Disappeared from these lands."

Ivan sat up immediately, something clicking in his head, though he wasn't sure what. "Do you know where he's gone? How did you find out?" He asked impatiently, eyes wide with apprehension.

Mia handed him a note, and he promptly read it.

_Dear Mia,_

_I know we were never close, and we never will be. I know I treated you wrong sometimes and I hope you will forgive me. I am leaving now, just as I left six years ago. Do not try and look for me, but we may meet again. Goodbye,_

_Alex_

"I don't understand," Ivan said slowly, for the second time, it seemed.

"You don't have to understand exactly what he means – the letter was written to me. The point is, he's left, and I know – I'm sure – he knew something about all these strange things that are happening. He always knew something, and he always only ever trusted himself. For all we know, he could be behind everything that's happened, and everything that is going to happen!" Mia explained.

"So danger is coming," Ivan wondered.

"Yes. I'm certain of it. And if we don't do something then we could, at the worst, be killed," Mia answered.

"But how can we stop it if we don't even know what this danger is?"

Mia paused. "… Perhaps, we can't stop it."

"… Huh?" Garet said, wanting to join in the debate.

Mia looked to the ground, and then back up at Ivan. She couldn't stay here any longer. Her thoughts were everywhere at once, and the house was stuffy and uncomfortable. "I'm sorry, I'll be going now," she said quickly, and took the note from Ivan's hand before abruptly leaving. _I hope I wasn't too rude, _she thought, biting her lip. _I just can't face the fact… the fact that he's left again. After we found each other by chance…_

"Are you okay Mia?"

She jumped, and saw Piers looking at her sympathetically. If she had carried on walking she would have walked right into him. Thank goodness that hadn't happened.

"Oh it's nothing," she tried to explain, not looking him in the eye. "Alex has disappeared again, and I hate this feeling I have. I don't think I trust him," she muttered, ashamed of herself.

"Well, you have every right to feel that way," Piers said, surprising Mia with his words. "Now I don't know your past with him -"

"We grew up together," Mia said quickly. "Nothing more. We were never close."

"Right," Piers said slowly. "However, the point is that you know him best, and when he suddenly leaves without much word of where he's going or what he's up to, no doubt Ivan himself has suspicions as well."

"I suppose you're right," Mia sighed.

"Of course I'm right. Mia, I came here because I knew of a great danger arriving towards you land. This place where you live is no ordinary place. An essence of something so pure lies in the ground, and the air about us, and it is this that is threatened by whatever fate holds against it. But, I fear there is something more. I do believe that there is a conspiracy around us, and whoever is doing it is putting as much effort as possible into covering it up and keeping it hidden from our eyes. It's hard to hold of a danger when you don't even understand what it is, and that is exactly the problem we have here."

He finished.

Mia suddenly felt very empty, devoid of any emotions. What Piers had just explained, had answered many problems whirling about in her head, and when said out into the open, they lifted the great weight that was pressing down inside her.

She had last talked to Alex two days ago, when Ivan had sent her to find him. She had last seen him the evening before. He walked at a distance past her, not looking at her once, pretending she was not there. The wind blew his hair across his face, hiding his expression if he had one, and Mia could only look at him, unable to say anything out loud. Inside she screamed. Screamed with anger and frustration at him for all the years she had known him.

And now, Piers, a person she had only known for a couple of days, was encouraging her to not trust him. To almost, forget him for who he was, and try and see him as a blank object. _He means nothing, _she thought sourly.

* * *

The campfire was going strong, flickering up into the blackness of the sky and lighting up its surroundings. About it sat people, strangers from the north. Their ships were beached on the shores nearby.

"Well, that scout you sent hasn't returned in two days. I told you he would be useless," one person said, his red eyes gleaming in the firelight. "I tell you every time but do you listen to me? No, of course you don't"

"Shut it," the other answered, brooding silently. "We leave tomorrow. We've waited too long for Raxus to return and we are waiting no longer. You all hear me?" he said loudly to the surrounding people. Some nodded vaguely; others didn't even turn to look at him.

"He went with that girl, didn't he?" One of the females spoke up. "Why was that? Why did he even bring her?"

"Because she was his daughter, idiot."

"…Oh."

"I reckon they were lost at sea. Perhaps they hit a rock or something and drowned. Jeez, I would hate to drown. I'd rather my death was quick and to the point. Drowning," he shivered. "That would be scary."

"Please, don't talk like that," the brooder mumbled, not too happy. "He was one of us."

"I was just joking -"

"Yeah well don't joke, because it's not funny!" he yelled, temper rising. "We all knew Raxus, and we all know he may be dead. Even one dead Proxian is a bad thing! I can't believe how heartless you are!"

"Jeez, _sorry_. I won't say anything ever again."

"Ah, and won't that be nice?" the brooding Proxian answered sarcastically. He turned to the rest of his people. "Get some rest, the lot of you! Like I said, we're leaving tomorrow!"

Some people grumbled, but the rest of the night was quiet. The tempered Proxian moved into the firelight to reveal the same fiery eyes they all had, and he sat, silently taking on the role of watching as the others settled down for the night.

Suddenly his ears pricked up as he heard a noise from the surrounding forest. He abruptly felt a new aura in the air, arriving from nowhere, appearing in their presence.

Not saying anything, he got to his feet, and carefully walked forwards.

"I have information for you," a voice spoke. It was smooth, clear and controlled, and to the point. "Information that you will need greatly. I can help you." The Proxian narrowed his eyes.

"Who are you?" he snarled, drawing a broad sword from his scabbard and holding it forward.

"Sorry, did I not introduce myself?" said the man, stepping forward out of the shadows. "Your name is Saturos, correct? And you are sailing south from your land, namely Prox?" He bowed slightly, his long hair falling over his shoulders, and hesmiled. "My name, is Alex."

* * *

**Alex you baddy!**

**Alex: Eh?**

**Well, hope you liked it. Sheba seemed to be hanging from that cliff for a very long time. I'm impressed she was able to hang on that long nn**

**Review please! Advice welcome...**


	4. Trust And Truth

**I Came, I Saw, I Conquered  
by Corycian Muse**

**This chapter has been edited, much to the thanks of Meneil, so a big thank you from me! **

* * *

**ShadeXH: Alex? Are you bad?**

**Alex: NO!**

**There you go. Now we have to work out whether Alex is telling the truth or not. ; Oh yeah... Damn you! You're finding out all my plot holes... and damn me, because I've literally just given it away! Damn, damn, damn all the way... Geez, don't listen to me, I'm rambling. O.o;;;; Thanks for the review, mate!**

**Gilly: Thank you for the review! It's good that people think it's interesting and not... confusing.**

**PyroDragon88: Alex? Are you evil?**

**Alex: No no no! > **

**Well, we could listen to him, but that's your choice.Again I don't want to give it away but everyone's suspicions are really interesting to read as well as giving me new ideas, so a big thank you (ShadeXH, PyroDragon88). And I agree, go Aquashipping! Yaaaaa!  
Wow! You made the pairing names? That's pretty cool! Well, I'm a proud user of them and I'll try my best to spread them around. I'm pretty sure I've seen someone else using your names as well, sothey are being used. (everybody cheers and throws beer cans around) Ow! **

**abstractmind: Yay! You're back!Again, sorry about theLighthouseshipping - it's not going to be anything serious, but you'll be happy with this longer chapter anyway (well, hopefully). Yeah I asked my good ol' brother to tell me that name. Gawd I hate thinking up names, they always sound so crap.uu**

**Thank you for the reviews, they really help a lot...

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**

**Please Read, Review, And Enjoy...

* * *

**

**Chapter Four:Trust And Truth**

Garet heaved the ax onto his shoulder, and grinned at his friend. "Are we ready then? Ah, today is gonna be great!"

"Yeah, great!" Jenna said sardonically. "I mean – I just _love _to cut down trees!"

"Well you don't have to, do you? Just remember this: have fun! It's morning, a whole day ahead -" at this Jenna groaned "-and the sun is shining; it's warm, and I feel so happy!"

"Ok, ok, fine," she replied, then started waggling a finger in Garet's face. "Just remember: this is _not _a date!"

"Yes, I know," Garet sighed, a little sadly. "We're going out to get materials to reinforce buildings and so on and so forth."

"Right," Jenna answered.

"Hey, who's going on a date?" a new voice asked, and both Jenna and Garet turned to see Isaac walking towards them.

"Oh, hey, you can come with us!" Jenna exclaimed, thoroughly relieved to see him.

"You two aren't going… out together, into the forest, are you?" Isaac asked suspiciously, glancing at Garet who was running a hand through his hair.

"No, idiot!" Jenna said, looking at him meaningfully. "We're going out – we were sent out -"

"Volunteered, actually," Garet suddenly interrupted.

"Whatever," she muttered, glaring at him. She turned back to Isaac. "We're going to get wood for a couple of unstable houses back in the village. Apparently that stranger thinks the foundations need doing…"

Isaac seemed to be suppressing a laughter. Jenna raised an eyebrow at him. "Sorry," he mumbled. "But what were they thinking; sending the two of you out into the woods to collect wood?" he chuckled. "You'll probably start a forest a fire!"

"Hey, we volunteered like I said!" Garet said indignantly. "And we were the only one's there when Piers brought it up."

"So the two _volunteers _were the two people there when the subject of cutting down trees was brought up," Isaac said. He paused. "Ok then."

"Why do I get the feeling he's insulting us?" Garet muttered darkly, but Jenna ignored him.

"Well why don't you come with us?" she asked hopefully, then added a little quieter as if someone might be listening in, "There are no older brothers around to get in the way."

Isaac smiled. "Where is Felix anyway?"

Jenna scratched her head. "Uh, I think he's with dad, helping in the blacksmiths. That's probably where he will be – why?"

"Oh, nothing," Isaac answered, a little taken aback. "I was just interested."

"Oh come on," Garet moaned. "Can you two hurry up so we can get going? I'm getting bored standing here."

"Ok, ok fine," Jenna turned exasperatedly. She sighed. "Anyway, the sooner we get this over with, the better."

"Oh I don't know," Isaac said, "It could be fun. We can make it fun, couldn't we Garet?"

Before Garet could say anything, Jenna butted in. "We're not little kids Isaac! Grow up, will you?" she said, and Isaac stared at her. "What?"

"I was just wondering why you're so frustrated," he mumbled, then quickly changed the subject. "Well, let's go then, and like Jenna said: get it over with."

Garet breathed out deeply. "At last," he mumbled. "We're on our way."

He turned and walked into the forest, and Jenna followed with Isaac close behind. Silently, he reached forward and took Jenna's hand in his, and her heart jumped. Quietly she looked at him and they exchanged glances for a moment, and something was said between them that could not be spoken in words.

* * *

"She must have dropped it into the sea, when the accident happened," Mia said. "It's the only possibility of how that dagger disappeared."

Felix looked up darkly. "Well maybe it was the best thing to happen. Sheba was too naïve for her own good to simply pick up any odd object like that."

"Well I can see your point Felix, and I understand you're aware of different weapons because your father is a blacksmith, but," Piers said with a smile, "What you both don't realize is I know more about that 'odd object' than you might think."

Mia looked up at him, puzzled. "What are you trying to say?" she asked quietly.

"Oh I'll tell you," Piers answered with a small smile. "But let's stop somewhere first to sit; I can't say it while we're walking about – there are too many people around."

It was true that the village was busy. Being market day a mile away through the forest in a more built-up town, many people bustled around, either on their way there now, or just arriving back with needs and goods bartered for under the canopies of the small square.

Slowly, they made their way between two thatched cottages and off the main dirt road, enjoying the continental summer weather they had been having lately.

Now that Piers' presence was known in the village (and maybe, by now, other neighboring villages), already much action had been put into place because of the news he had brought with him. Ivan had sent for some supplies that morning, and when Piers had brought up his concern of the houses' stability, Garet had been willing enough to go out and collect some wood before they could get better quality equipment from other towns.

But although this was all being done, one problem was still very much in the obvious: no one was actually sure what the danger was. Or indeed, when (or if) it would arrive. It was a problem that was already causing disputes between villagers, and one problem that would not leave too quickly.

"So what was it that you were saying?" Mia asked again, as they sat down in the shadow of a large oak to talk more privately.

"It's nothing amazing," Piers explained. "Except that the dagger Sheba found belonged to me. I was foolish to not look after it better, when I accidentally dropped the weapon in the forest when I first arrived here that night."

"So Sheba was right," Felix said.

"You mean she suspected?" Piers asked, then smiled. "I'm impressed. It seems to me she is more acute to what is going on around her than others, just as Ivan is. There is no doubt it is something to do with the element they are so connected with."

Mia frowned though, and Felix too seemed anxious about something.

"What I don't understand, or what you haven't come to explain yet, is how you came across such a weapon," Mia murmured. She paused.

"And a dagger like that, too," Felix put in. He leaned back and looked up at the clear sky. "It was no ordinary dagger," he ended.

"No, it wasn't," Piers answered seriously. "And it didn't come from my homeland either." He shook his head. "No, I'm afraid that is a mystery that still cannot be explained."

"What do you mean, 'a mystery'?" Mia asked.

Piers, out of habit, adjusted the bandana on his head. "The weapon was found by one of the late explorers, before it was forbidden to pass over Lemuria's boundaries. Somehow it was handed to me by one of the senate -"

"Senate?" Felix suddenly asked, interested.

"Yes, a kind of governing body of the people who ran Lemuria," Piers answered, amused that such things were not known in this land. Felix nodded vaguely, though he appeared to be in deep thought. Mia was watching Piers intently, who carried on. "No one was ever sure where the black knife came from, but as I carried it around with me, it became clear the dagger had some kind of power." He was silent for a moment, and the other two waited for him to continue.

"What kind of powers?" Mia whispered.

"Strange things… the blade became hot and strange at recurring moments, things like that," Piers answered flatly.

"That's a little vague, but I suppose it's not the point," Mia said. "I suppose the point is that Sheba may have sensed this… maybe. But it doesn't matter now; the dagger's gone, and who knows what's happened to it."

There was a silent agreement between them, and for a while they enjoyed the calmness that surrounded them, away from the busy village.

"It is lucky that Sheba didn't hurt herself, save for a few scratches and bruises," Piers said lightly. "I haven't been able to talk to her in a proper conversation yet, but I'll look forward to it."

"Well be ready for a very unusual conversation," Felix muttered. "Sheba finds it enjoyable to mess with your mind and catch you out when you least expect it…" he paused. "For some strange reason."

"Well in that case, I'll look forward to it even more," Piers said with a small glint in his eye, and both Mia and Felix looked at him oddly. He laughed.

Suddenly Felix twitched and looked up. "Someone's been listening," he said calmly, and quickly got to his feet. Mia and Piers followed suit.

The wind picked up, and all stood still. Mia glanced warily about herself. She had never lost her trust in Felix, but there was no one nearby - that she could see anyway. "Are you sure?" she asked him, but he did not answer.

Then, without warning, everything went deathly silent, and Piers instantaneously grabbed Felix and Mia and pulled them to the ground. "Get down!" he yelled, as they fell back behind one of the cottages.

The sky went dark like an eclipse, and a sudden surge of wind pummeled into them. At the same time streaks of lightning flashed against the grey sky, aiming for earth. They cut through the air and hit the ground where they had been only seconds before.

Clods of earth were blown into the air and dense smoke lifted from the burned area. The heat slowly wafted away from the ruined ground. Mia held her breath, wide-eyed, as Piers stayed in front of her, protecting her.

The sound of normal day life from the village came to them slowly, undisturbed as if nothing had happened. The sky quickly cleared.

Felix abruptly pushed forward. "Hey!" he yelled angrily, sprinting forward towards a clump of trees. Mia immediately saw a movement in the shadows between the trunks.

"Quick!" Piers said, pulling Mia up before she knew what was happening, and starting to follow in Felix's footsteps. "He might need our help!" he yelled over his shoulder, as Mia pressed on after him.

The person began to run, dashing in-between the trees and jumping nimbly over fallen branches, further and further into the darkness.

"Wait! Stop!" Felix yelled, as he tried desperately to keep his eyes fixed upon the fleeing figure dashing through the shadows. The stranger gasped at the sound of his voice echoing through the trees, and fastened their footsteps. They looked over their shoulder for a split second… and lost their footing.

The person tripped, and went flying forward, crashing into the loamy ground. They groaned and tried to get to their feet once more, but failed to do so. Felix, with Piers and Mia just behind, came to a halt before the person and immediately reached down, grabbing hold of the person's wrist and pulling them over so he could see their face. It was a young woman, of no more than sixteen or seventeen years old. The sun glowed through the treetops and danced about upon her face.

"You heard what we were talking about?" Felix asked straightly. She nodded slightly, glaring with fury up at him. "And you were the one that tried to attack us?" Again she nodded.

"Yes, and I did it with pleasure," she snarled.

* * *

Garet whistled jovially up ahead of them as they walked further into the forest. Jenna however, wasn't having such a good time. Her dress kept getting caught on branches and snagging them, which constantly annoyed her until she was so furious, she threw her hands up in defeat.

"Garet!" she called ahead, glaring at him with fire in her eyes. "Garet, I can't take this any more! I've had enough!"

"You've what?" He yelled back, and continued to whistle. Jenna took out her vindictiveness on a nearby log, kicking it hard. Sadly this only caused her toe to go numb in pain.

Isaac watching her sadly as if it would be the end for her, and finally decided it was time to say something. "Don't worry about it Jenna. You can go back to the village if you want."

"Oh I'm not worrying," she spat. "I'm just really, really mad!"

"Well not everything's so bad," Isaac tried to reason, and then bravely carried on when Jenna did not say anything. "I mean, you and I have got some time together, haven't we? Without your brother. That makes a change for once, I have to say."

"I suppose you're right," Jenna muttered. "But you don't have to always talk about Felix so badly. It doesn't make me feel any better."

"I don't talk about him badly – well, not in the way you mean!" Isaac protested. "Anyway, it doesn't matter because it's the truth."

"Oh please," Jenna said, starting to get angry again. "You make it sound like he really hates us being together. He's only protective over me, that's all. He hasn't built some barrier between us to stop us from getting close…"

"Fine," Isaac said. "But he does hate me, which is probably why he's more protective."

"He doesn't hate you!" Jenna yelled at him, anger building up once more.

"He does!" Isaac protested. "He said it to my face!"

Jenna stared at him, her face contorting with fury and confusion. "I can't believe you're lying about something like that!" She shouted at him, and Isaac's eyes narrowed in disbelief.

"I'm not lying Jenna," he said, trying to bring the volume of the conversation down. "He does not like me and he said so. I would not lie to you about something like that." There was a pause in the conversation. "And anyway," Isaac carried on, trying to change the subject. "It's not important – it doesn't matter. Let's go and catch up with Garet, because he's left us behind."

Jenna did not look him in the eye. "I think I will leave you to it," she said quietly. "I'm going home."

Isaac could not say anything. His mouth opened and closed a few times but no words came out. He did not have a clue what to say, and so stood watching her, dumbstruck, as she walked back the way they had come.

He could not believe it. The one time they had managed to be together, and he'd blown it – by telling the truth. _Yeah well, the truth doesn't have to be told,_ his conscience told him, and he winced at the words. But then, Jenna hadn't believed what he'd said. _She doesn't trust me enough! _Isaac pouted as the new thought occurred in his head. No, on this matter, he was going to blame it on Felix. It wasn't his fault, and it wasn't Jenna's, but the two siblings were close, and it was no wonder Jenna would not listen to what he said.

_Damn, _Isaac cursed, and abruptly kicked a stone into the trees.

"Isaac?" Garet had plodded back a few steps upon noticing the other two weren't following. He looked at his friend, slightly confused. "Where'd Jenna go?" he asked.

"She went back to the village," Isaac muttered, moving forwards so they could walk together. "She got fed up and left."

"Ah so that's why you two were yelling?"

"Sort of," Isaac answered flatly, not wanting to go into details. "I said something I shouldn't have, but it doesn't matter because Jenna didn't believe me anyway."

"Ah, well never mind eh?" Garet answered cheerfully. "She'll get over it – she always does. It's just one of her little tantrums."

"Yeah," Isaac sighed. "I hope so."

* * *

Her name was apparently Feizhi. That much they had managed to get of her, but where she came from or indeed any other information, she had not said; she refused to say.

"She's certainly stubborn," Piers said, rubbing his chin thoughtfully.

"Don't talk about me like I'm not here," she spat at him, making him flinch. "I'm not a barbarian, and I can understand what you're saying!"

"Oh I'm sure," Piers answered kindly. "But whether you are willing to answer is another matter." He had a point. Feizhi said nothing after that.

"Do you think the inn will take her in?" Mia asked instead. "I mean," she said, turning to the stranger. "Do you have any money?"

"I don't even want to go there!" she said indignantly. "If you will -" she struggled for a moment in Piers' and Felix's grip. "-If you'll just let me go! You stupid men!"

"We're not letting you go anywhere," Felix said darkly. "You're up to no good, or you know something. You're staying till you spit it out." He looked at her sideways. "And anyway, you probably don't even have a home. An outcast, I would suspect."

"Shut up!" she said angrily as she was pulled up before the inn's door. Mia went in first and walked over to the innkeeper, trying her best to show confidence in the matter.

"Err, can you keep this girl here for a couple of nights?" she asked flat out.

The innkeeper leaned over the small dirty desk. "Sure," he said with a large grin. "I'll look after this little missus here if you want." He paused. "But, I don't go free, as you should know."

Mia sighed, and turned back to the other three, shrugging. "Now we need to work out how to pay it, or if there's any other way it could work out," she said.

"It's not even safe keeping her here in the inn. She could escape at any time," Felix pointed out, almost to himself. Feizhi continued to glare at the lot of them.

"You're confusing even yourselves," she said, not far from a mocking voice. "What are doing, taking me hostage? Planning to squeeze out some truth from me that's not even there?" She sighed. "Like you say, it's not clever going and getting me a room in _an inn_, is it?" she said tauntingly.

The innkeeper meanwhile, watched it all with mild interest from behind his uncomfortable small desk. Two people sitting in the corner looked over with distaste at the raised voices, and Piers appeared unsure.

"Perhaps we should talk about this… somewhere else?" he said quietly. Felix pursed his lips and Mia crossed her arms, exchanging a glance with the Lemurian.

"Why?" Feizhi said loudly. Then she suddenly smiled. "Oooh, I know! There have been strange things going on around here, haven't there?" She felt the two holding her tense. "And I'm a suspect? Wow, I feel special. You want to know why I attacked you?"

"Keep it down," Felix said touchily, strengthening his grip on her arm as they were given more looks. This was exactly what Feizhi wanted – a show, and a chance to escape. He looked around quickly. "Let's go," he muttered, and turned back to the door.

"Where is she going to stay?" Piers asked, keeping his voice low.

"Anywhere but here," came the answer.

The sun was getting closer to the horizon all the time. The village had become quieter and more placid since the morning and the market's bustle and things almost seemed normal if it weren't for the silent dread behind people's faces. It was the knowledge that something was going on in the outside world, something they couldn't quite understand. Something that played a big part with Alex, or that Alex played a big part with. The thought of him brought no good feelings to Mia's heart, only anger towards that _traitor. That's what he is, _she thought, and she could feel her face muscles trying to snarl.

"Are you alright Mia?" Piers asked, noticing her sudden change.

She started slightly. "Yes, I'm fine," she answered, trying to smile. "I just suddenly thought about Alex, that's all."

"Ah," Piers said understandingly. Neither of them could forget the conversation they had had the day Alex left, and Mia still remembered his words. "It's best to try and keep your mind away from him for now, even though you will never be able to fully rid him from your memory."

Even Feizhi said nothing as they stood wondering what to do. Eventually Felix took in a deep breath and looked slowly to his two friends. "She'll have to stay with one of us," he said at last. "It's the only possibility."

"It would seem so," Piers said. "We can't let her leave. We don't know who she's with, who she would tell. After all, she owned up to hearing what we were talking about."  
"In other words, she's a liability," Felix ended.

"Hey!" Feizhi muttered angrily up at him, but he hardly seemed to notice.

"Where would be best until we can ask Ivan about her tomorrow then?" He asked the other two.

After a pause, Mia looked up. "It seems it would be best if she stayed with me," she said, smiling at the other girl. "After all, I have a spare room in my house, though it's nothing special, and it's not like Piers has a home at the moment either so she can't stay there. There's no room at your house Felix so I'm the only one left."

"Well," Felix said, unsure. "If that's what you think is best."

"It is," Mia said firmly. Then she turned to Feizhi. "Anyway," she carried on. "It would be better if she stayed with another female -"

"-Better than these two any day," Feizhi grumbled, pulling at their taught grips upon her. She puffed. "Well," she said, talking normally. "It looks like I'll be staying so I can be interrogated tomorrow. It's not like I have a choice in anything around here." She looked Mia straight in the eye, but said nothing.

"You can trust me," Mia said kindly, the sun gleaming in her clear blue eyes. "And we'll have to trust you too. You can't go back to wherever you came from now anyway," she said. "It's too late. Consider it as a place to stay for the night, yes?"

"I suppose," Feizhi muttered slowly, seeing the sense in her words.

"Well, let's show you to where you'll be staying then," Mia said brightly.

"I'll come with you," Piers added quickly, which gained him an odd glance from Mia. He pulled a face. "Well someone has to, just until we get to your house, to be safe."

"I suppose," Mia answered. "But we are meant to be trusting Feizhi here. If you come then that trust will mean nothing.

"No, it's not like that," Piers explained. "I'm… seeing you off. Or, escorting you, if you wish." At this, Mia chuckled, and Piers found it hard to hide his grin.

"Well we'd better hurry up and get escorted then," Mia said at last to Feizhi who's only answer was some inaudible muttering.

"We'll see you tomorrow maybe, Felix," Piers said over his shoulder as they walked away. Felix nodded, his mind in other places as they disappeared around a thatched cottage.

He stood for a moment, and then turned, deciding it was time to return to the blacksmiths as he should have done at least two hours beforehand. When he arrived, there was no one in sight. His father and mother were gone.

Thinking that in itself was slightly odd, Felix entered the house and waited a couple of seconds for his eyes to accustom to the darkness. All was silent.

Before he could even take in a second breath however, someone returned loudly behind him, entering the thatched cottage at a fast pace.

"Jenna?" Felix said questioningly as he saw her expression and her heavy breathing. "Weren't you out with Garet?"

She did not answer, but stood glaring at him, waiting to catch her breath. She gulped. "You don't talk to Isaac much, do you?" she asked, staring at him closely.

Felix was a little bemused. "Uh, I suppose not," he said, thinking it best to just answer her question and ask later why such a random thing would be brought up.

"You don't like him, do you?"

"Jenna -"

"_Do you?_" Jenna repeated angrily.

Felix stared at her, and then blinked, coming out of a trance. "If you really want the truth, though it's not important… No, I don't like him much."

Jenna remained silent, but it was clear from her face that she was trying in vain to suppress a number of emotions inside her. Felix waited for impact. "God dammit!" She suddenly exploded. "You said it to his face, didn't you! Yeah you have to make your point clear to everyone!" She yelled in fury at him. "Let him know how you feel about him! Just because you're so protective. Why don't you sort your priorities out Felix!"

She was rambling, but he knew what she meant. "It's not because I'm protective," he said, attempting to defend himself in this argument. "I just don't like him, that's all."

"You don't say to someone that you don't like them, just because it's the truth! You are such an idiot!" Jenna shouted, brimming with emotions. They were about to overflow.

"Well, what do you want me to say?" Felix asked. "Sorry?"

"Oh you can say what you want – you do anyway. But whatever you do say, it doesn't make much difference. You'll never mean it!" she fumed, then burst into tears.

_Is… it really that bad? _Felix thought incredulously as he wrapped an arm around his sister's shoulders. His face softened. "I'm sorry, Jenna, for whatever trouble I've caused," he murmured softly. Jenna buried her face in his shoulder, her tears already stopping their flow.

"You're so rash," she mumbled, frustrated. "I know you care for me, but sometimes you're too close. Just… give me some room in life, for my own freedom."

Felix said nothing.

"Do you want me to say something to Isaac?" He asked after a moment of silence between them.

"No," Jenna said quickly. "No, I'll talk to him tomorrow." She laughed nervously. "I… I ran off on him today, when he told me what you had said. He probably thinks I don't like him anymore."

Felix refrained himself from saying anything out loud, and instead kept to wondering why Isaac would tell Jenna about what he had said, knowing full well it would hurt Jenna's feelings.

_No, _he thought decisively. _That would only cause more painful feelings between Jenna and me. I'll let her and Isaac sort it out between themselves…

* * *

_

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**End of Chapter Four. Please Review!**


	5. Broken

**I Came, I Saw, I Conquered  
by Corycian Muse**

* * *

**I updated a week earlier than I expected! Yay! (I was on a roll! ) Ok well, if you read the Author's Note (I will NOT do one again. Stupid things) then you'll know why it's taking longer, especially now the beginning's of the story are beginning to unravel, so it takes a lot of brain power. So just to say, don't even think I've given up on this story because I'm not updating, it's just taking a longer time for me, that's all.**

**To my fellow reviewers  
PyroDragon88: Thanks so much, and you are an inspiration! This chapter isn't going to be so focused on Aquashipping, so a sorry from me, but thanks still for the review. Alex is evil? Well it may seem so in this chappie...**

**ShadeXH: Felix-Feizhi... that's actually quite interesting! I hadn't thought of it, but now you say it, it seems an idea to, err, take into account... See what I mean by you guys helping me out? Aw, thank you so much for the review! **

**abstractmind: Thanks for the compliment! I hope you'll carry on liking Feizhi in this chapter too (you'll see what I mean), and yes, it made sense! lol**

**SpaticDjinn: Hellooo, and thank you for the review! I hope you like mine too! Hehehe...**

**ShadeXH: (gives a big hug) Thank yooooooou! It's so nice you understand, and yes, you're a main reviewer and I love ya for it! I'm sorry about getting your hopes up, and ending up with a stupid Author's note (I hate 'em too), but here's the next chapter, and I hope you like it.**

**

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Please Read, Review, and Enjoy...**

* * *

**Chapter Five: Broken**

_In the deepest, most hidden corner of your heart  
__Remains a lonely soul, and this soul remains within  
__You, always broken._

Time passed and brought with it a new day. The tension was still there, and feeling as fresh as ever between Felix and Jenna. He had already made up his mind that he would say nothing of it to her, and let it heal itself without him interfering.

Jenna however, wasn't at such an ease. She could feel all her emotions rearing up in her chest, trying desperately to force their way out of her; anger and confusion, at the most.

Before she could even see Felix the next morning, she decided she would leave, and go for a walk to clear her mind in the fresh morning air. He wouldn't be able to leave anyway, before helping their father out in the blacksmith's. Jenna grinned inwardly. Helping out with things like that was something she didn't have to do.

* * *

"So," said Feizhi, as she sat, legs crossed, waiting for Mia to bring her some food. "Am I allowed to walk around this place? You know… I'm not being held hostage, am I?"

Mia closed her eyes, and took in a deep breath. She hadn't talked about it with Piers or Felix, but she couldn't exactly say no, could she? It wouldn't really be fair. But then, what if Feizhi did just run away when she still hadn't given them any information she had? Undecided, Mia said nothing.

"Are you going to answer me?" Feizhi asked, annoyed. Still, Mia did not answer. She ignored her, and handed her some bread. It was all she could give for breakfast. "Answer me! What do you want me to do, so you have my word?"

"You mean, you wouldn't try and escape? You would stay within the village?" Mia suddenly said, turning to stare the other girl directly in the face.

"Well," Feizhi answered, scratching her head. "It wouldn't be hard for me to just run off. But you can't exactly tie me up, can you? That wouldn't be nice. So… what are you going to do?"

"I'm not going to do anything," Mia said flatly. "And this conversation is getting nowhere. Eat your food and be quiet."

Feizhi stared at her in mock surprise. "That's a little harsh, don't you think?" she said in a provoking voice. "All I want is some fresh air, and I get all this."

"Well why don't you make it easier for everyone, and just tell us where you come from and why you attacked us for no apparent reason. Once you gave us that information, I'm sure we'd let you leave."

"'We', 'we', always this 'we'. Can't you make decisions on your own without those other two people's agreement? You should be more independent, whatever your name is," Feizhi said, smirking.

"Mia. My name is Mia. And don't think I'll fall for all your little tricks either. I'm not stupid." However patient and kind Mia was known to be, this stranger was touching her nerves. She couldn't have been more desperate for someone to arrive and take her of her hands. After all, she'd had to put up with her all night.

But just as she was thinking these thoughts, Feizhi suddenly spoke up, and she no longer sounded smarmy, but fairly serious. Mia watched her carefully, trying to read her expressions.

"Alright, I'll say this. I was sent here by my people, as a spy. They won't be expecting me back, because I was meant to stay here for at least a week before returning with a report of what I'd found out," she said, looking Mia in the eye. She sighed. "So you see, you don't have to worry about me leaving because I'm not planning to anyway. And if you're thinking I might return to my people early, well I won't, because I haven't found out anything yet. Understand?"

"What were you sent _here _for?" Mia asked interested, still watching the stranger's every movement. Feizhi pursed her lips together, suddenly looking a little worried, much to Mia's surprise.

"There have been whispers of… a dangerous plot; of unknown enemies and hidden powers to be unleashed. It's a disturbance in the air and the earth, a change in the wind. You can feel it all around you, wherever you go. There was just – this knowledge, that something was going on, something wrong. And that is why I was sent, because people care."

Mia stared, stunned. What this girl had said, was not much different to Piers' word when he had first arrived. It was more than uncanny, and the disappearance also, of Alex no longer made these strange happenings a coincidence. It could only be providence.

Everything had a purpose, and everything had a meaning.

"You can go out," Mia murmured, catching Feizhi by surprise. "Promise me you won't leave, and promise me… you'll look after yourself."

Regaining control of herself, Feizhi nodded, seeing the blank look in Mia's eyes. "I will," she answered, and got to her feet, disappearing out of the door.

* * *

Isaac got steadily to his feet, and after a moment's standing, he sat back down upon his bed again. He had no idea what to do with himself. He didn't know if he should wait till later, or leave now to talk to her.

Sighing, he slowly got back to his feet, deciding it would be best to get out of the small house anyway, even if he were to wait till later to talk to Jenna, and apologise to her for what he'd said.

Silently, he cursed her elder brother.

Still feeling rather dazed when he reached the open air, he took in a deep breath and walked carefully down the path, pondering deeply.

If he had just said nothing about it yesterday, nothing would have happened between himself and Jenna, but he could not change that now. She loved Felix dearly, and he couldn't change that either, but she could at least have understood it from his point of view. And now…

And now they were separated from each other, by a petty dispute. The situation agonised in Isaac's chest, as he waited for the morning to move on; waited to see Jenna again, and make amends.

His thoughts trailed to other places as he walked on past Ivan's thatched (and much superior) cottage, until one particular thought occurred to him, that he stopped in his tracks for a moment.

Where was Sheba? He hadn't seen her for a while, which was unusual. But then… after what happened, maybe she was still recovering. _But Sheba wouldn't wait around in bed,_ Isaac thought, frowning.

Accepting he wouldn't be able to work that mystery out just standing there, he started to walk again, allowing the blood to pump through his body more easily.

* * *

"So," Saturos started. He stood, almost triumphantly upon the sand, the Proxian ships in shallow water before him. "Today we will sail west, moving forward in the first step of conquering the new land… and gaining the most basic powers upon this world. The elements," he carried on, raising his voice slightly. "The elements will be ours."

"But as we discussed," Alex murmured at his side. "Things take time. First you need to take… the captive – the pawn. It is the first part of the plan."

Saturos looked at him sharply. "Don't trivialize what I do," he muttered angrily as the Proxians began to lift cargo onto the ships while hiding any traces of their presence being on the island. "I know what I am doing; you, obviously, do not. Don't assume things so simply next time."

He abruptly turned away from the Imilian and marched on deck of the nearest ship. Alex watched him, smirking.

Setting sail!" someone called, their voice echoing through the air. Various commands were thrown from the decks, as both men and women pulled at ropes, bringing up the white sails.

Alex made his way quickly on board the same way as Saturos, just as the ships were hefted into the sea. The small fleet caught the current while the sails pressed forward in the refreshing wind.

They were already well on their way…

* * *

He knew where Sheba had gone. He wasn't sure why he knew, but it was something very certain to him, and today it would be time to leave.

Time to go and see her again.

He would be back before downfall.

Gently rubbing the horse's nose, Felix looked the creature in the eye, his fingers moving carefully over her hair. He ran his hand up her long quiet head, and along into the coarse mane that fell about the horse's eyes.

"Isatis," he whispered the name, his fingers curling around the reigns that fell about the horse's head. He pulled them down her neck and breathed in deeply, closing his eyes.

He had told his father he would be leaving, and Jenna wouldn't care to know at the moment, he thought.

Gripping the saddle, Felix pulled himself into the seat of the horse, and flung his travelling cloak out behind him. Then leaning forward slightly, he stroked the dark bay's neck, shortened the reigns in his hands and kicked the horse's sides with renewed strength.

Isatis broke into a steady canter, away from the isolated village.

* * *

As the rising sun's rays grew stronger, and Jenna stood alone near the edge of town, she wondered if maybe she should see Isaac. Perhaps… just maybe she had over-reacted. Perhaps she had taken it just too far.

Suddenly, a flash of movement caught her eye, and she looked up to see, not far off, a dark horse and rider. They cantered away from the village, taking one of a few trails further inland. Jenna frowned, confused.

"Was that… my brother?" she asked herself aloud, standing upright. _Where was he going, and without saying anything to her? What… was going on? _Feeling genuinely puzzled, Jenna decided to ignore the matter, and return her thoughts to Isaac.

Well, nothing was going to happen if she just stood there, so she decided to walk again, if only to walk. Maybe, by chance, she would bump into Isaac, and their argument would be amended.

Jenna hoped that would happen.

* * *

Menardi snarled as a drop of sweat trickled down her temple and to her chin. The day was already getting hot, and behind them was a mass of cumulus clouds, so large, and high up, and each one a different shape. It was like a different world; hidden kingdoms held in the sky.

But they brought with them dangers of a storm, and they were quickly catching up.

She pulled her whole arm over her head in an attempt to keep her hair out of her face. The billowing winds were stronger than ever, and it was hard keeping control over the helm of the ship.

"Is everything going well?" A voice behind her asked. Menardi whipped her head around to look quickly look over her shoulder. Saturos came to a stop at her back, and for a moment Menardi felt uncomfortable with him so close.

"It's fine," she said stiffly, and he sensed her unease. Taking a step back, he peered ahead of them.

"It will be quick," he said tersely. "It will be a surprise for them – they won't be expecting it. We'll just have to hope it will go easy for us."

"How will we know which person it is?" Menardi asked, turning the wheel slightly as she kept her eyes on the course of the ship.

"We can do nothing but take that scumbag's word for it," Saturos answered, snarling slightly. He glanced over his shoulder quickly, as if to check that Alex wasn't listening, and then continued with their conversation. "It looks like there will be a storm," he said dryly. "It's already started to affect our weather conditions and could make things harder."

"Yes, I agree," Menardi said, "And it's hot, dammit. We're not used to this kind of weather." Saturos silently agreed, his eyes now fixed upon the Proxian.

"Menardi," he murmured, more to himself than to her. She managed to look at him quizzically while keeping control of the ship.

"Saturos?" she said slowly, waiting.

He blinked as if he had come out of a trance, and then shook his head. "Sorry," he said, trying to smile. "I was… miles away just then." He suddenly appeared very confused, and took a step back before turning towards the cabin. "I was – thinking of the old times," he muttered.

Menardi sighed at his behaviour. Sometimes he did not seem fully in control of himself. Sometimes, she wondered, he seemed almost… confused by his past. Maybe that was what caused him to be so angry at times.

Still, she didn't have time to wonder about Saturos right now. Menardi lifted her eyes and stared out from the ship. It wouldn't be long.

* * *

Feizhi grinned for no apparent reason. Only she would know why such a random thing happened, and that was that. She scratched her head thoughtfully, and then blinked once. Twice.

He was coming right towards her, head bowed, deep in thought. Was he the one who they had meant?

Taking no chances, she pranced to the right and laid herself flat against the house's wall. Breathing in slowly, Feizhi turned her head to peer out at him. It was then that she realised the most obvious point of this plot, also being the one they had missed.

Silently, she cursed. She cursed herself and those above her for not thinking of it either: _How was she to know which person it was?_

Feizhi had been given no clues, no idea of who she was looking for. What they had told her had been firm, and what she thought was to the point.

"_Head for the village by the sea – you know which one. Remain there, in secret – don't let anyone see you or else the mission may fail. The morning after you arrive, Frame him." _That was more or less what they had told her to do, the fools.

Well she had been a fool at the beginning, Feizhi admitted to herself. She had thought she had been caught, and consequently attacked the villagers, only to bring their true attention upon herself. She ran, but they caught up, and Feizhi had been _captured._ That had happened yesterday.

At least she had managed to get out of the girl's house this morning. _What was her name_? Feizhi wondered uninterestedly. _Mia. That was it. _

It was not long before the person walked past, seemingly oblivious to all around him. It was so obvious to Feizhi that he was deeply lost in his thoughts, then if she had been sure that he was then one, it couldn't have been easier to get the job done.

However, she wasn't sure, and she had no proof either. If Feizhi _killed _the wrong person, then there would be sincere punishment for her at both ends; if she returned to her hirers, or if she remained to kill the right person.

Feizhi suddenly shivered. _"Frame him." _That was their words, not _kill. _She didn't have to kill him then, only frame. But in ways, framing was harder.

It was no use. If she was going to get this right, she had to take the opportune moment, and find out who he was _while _she was framing. Slowly, a plan started to form in her mind.

Silently, she slipped out from behind the house and followed her prey. As she did so, she looked out to the ocean, and saw dimly in the morning mist, the faint shadow of ships. They were coming.

And from now on, everything came down to timing.

* * *

Jenna, still slightly baffled by the sight of her brother leaving so suddenly, continued round the corner of a house on the outskirts of the village. She fanned her face for a moment, already feeling the heat of the sun upon her face, and glanced up at the sky.

Heat didn't just bring discomfort. Storm clouds were forming; pure, white fluffy tops, with almost black undersides. She could almost feel the tension in the air.

Unable to explain it, Jenna suddenly felt a huge wave of apprehension flow over her, and her stomach seemed to knot together. She bit her lip, confused.

And immediately tasted the coppery flavour of blood.

Jenna brought two fingers up, and she gingerly pressed them to the offended lip. Pulling them away once more, she saw her crimson blood upon her fingertips, and quickly wiped her mouth on the back of her hand, cursing silently, and wondering why she hadn't felt any pain.

Seeing the cliffs subside ahead of her, she moved onwards, her feet carrying her towards the beaches. The sound of the waves crashing against the shores washed a new sensation through her – it was an almost calming sound.

* * *

Isaac felt the presence, but something stopped him from turning to look. He kept walking, not aware of where he was going, and pondered on what to do.

He felt it before he heard it. The air was still and calm, as well as being humid, but he sensed that dangerous calm around him, and the silence that pressed down like a thick rug, muffling out the smallest of noises. Even the birds did not sing. They waited apprehensively in the trees, and Isaac felt that same anxiety inside him.

It may not have been because of the ensuing storm though.

And then, a few moments later, the silent flash of forked lightning came down from the sky, followed some seconds later by the first tremor that rumbled through the air. The distant thunder rolled out of the clouds and echoed over the waves towards land.

Before Isaac knew it, there was dry, coarse sand beneath his feet. It rolled out and down towards the sea, and the grass that sprang up in clumps shivered in a breeze that could not be felt by him.

He stopped where he stood, for a moment forgetting the presence he had felt following him, and looked out directly ahead of him. The ocean was a murky green, and the horizon was filled with darkness. The clouds brought with them tension as they hung threateningly in the sky above his head.

For the first time in a long time, Isaac felt alone, and empty. He felt sadness wash over him like the foamy waves that washed over the dull golden sand.

But as his blue eyes roamed over the shoreline, he slowly brought his head up, and looked off to the right. Only to have his gaze met by someone else's.

"Jenna?" Isaac said slowly, saying her name. He stood stock still, staring at her, and she too, remained frozen, her long mahogany locks falling about her shoulders, her eyes wide and unemotional. "Jenna…"

"Isaac!" came a new voice that echoed through the air, piercing his thoughts so that his eyes broke away from Jenna's. Isaac made a very big mistake when he heard his name being called. He turned, to look at who had spoken.

"Yes?" he asked as soon as his eyes set upon the newcomer.

And so gave her the answer of who he was.

* * *

Feizhi had seen the girl further down the beach. She saw they way their gazes locked into one another. She already knew who was coming along the beach from behind the cliffs. And she knew now, that her job was nearly complete.

The rising storm sent shivers of energy down her spine, and she relished in it.

Setting her eyes back on Isaac, she sprinted down towards the beach, arms open wide.

* * *

He had never seen her before, but she came to a halt in front of him, smiling broadly. Her eyes twinkled as she watched Isaac with berated breath.

"Do I know you?" he asked, as politely as he could. He cast a quick glance off to his right to see Jenna still standing, watching.

"Isaac…" Feizhi murmured, noticing his gaze. He slowly brought his attention back to her and wondered why she was taking so long to get to what she was here for. "Isaac, it's really you," she said, still making no sense.

Isaac didn't know what to say.

Suddenly, Feizhi moved herself behind him drawing his sight away from Jenna. Taking his full attention, she stepped forward purposefully, and before Isaac knew what was happening…

She had put her arms around him in a loving embrace.

"Don't say anything," she whispered in his ear, closing her eyes.

The pain it caused ripped through Jenna like a knife. Isaac's back was to her, but what she had seen was clear, and Jenna clutched at her chest, eyes burning, body trembling with anger, and complete distress.

"What… what are you doing?" she muttered, unable to control herself. The tears burned her cheeks; her eyes were wide and unblinking. Her head felt light, but she brought her vision back up again once more.

Cold, calculating, and victorious eyes stared at her over Isaac's shoulder. They filled Jenna's sight, and she took a step back, afraid. She suddenly longed for her brother's comforting arms, for soft words to be spoken, for Isaac to have not… betrayed her. He _betrayed _her. The word pounded in her head like the dull thud of a hammer. _Betrayed. _

But, more than anything else, Jenna felt broken.

She turned away from the heart-wrenching sight, intending on walking away. Isaac had seen her, and he had made it clear that he no longer wanted her; he was already after some other girl after what had happened yesterday. Jenna felt sick, and she kept her eyes averted, not seeing him push Feizhi away.

"What the hell are you doing?" Isaac snarled at her, his hand clenching her wrist as he held her away from him. But only Feizhi heard his words as a second, louder rumble of thunder emanated from the dark sky.

She smiled maliciously up at him, but her eyes drifted past Isaac to Jenna. The girl was walking head on into her greatest danger, and she didn't even realise it.

Jenna looked up a moment too late, and before she knew what was happening, her arms were pulled tightly behind her back, and a sweaty hand was clamped over her mouth. She squirmed stubbornly in the iron grip, and kicked out, managing to connect with something. She heard the sound of a male person grunting in pain, but the hold on her remained unbroken.

Then came the sound of more footsteps, and Jenna looked up into blood-red eyes. She stared, seeing nothing else, drowning in crimson pools that glittered in the flash of lightning.

And then, from nowhere, someone elbowed her in the stomach and she reeled forward in pain. A hand was brought down on the back of her neck, and a comforting darkness enfolded her vision, too late to catch a glimpse of Isaac running towards her.

Feizhi laughed.

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**End of Chapter Five... but more to come! Mwahahaha...**

**Constructive comments are really appreciated, and just reviewing to tell me what you think really helps out a lot, so thanks if you take the time to do so. Anyway, until next time, Tally ho! **

**(rides off into the sunset to write chapter six)**


	6. Promise

**I Came, I Saw, I Conquered  
by Corycian Muse**

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**I know, I haven't updated in a while! I'm very sorry! I have edited a couple of chapters for mistakes, though, and now I've completed Chapter Six! Again, sorry for the wait, but I'm pleased with this chapter, so I hope you'll like it. **

**CombatWombat: Thank you for your 'short' review. This story was actually going to start of as a humor crossover, but it turned right away from those catagories.**

**Jupiter Vixen:** **Well, you'll find out in this chapter! Thanks for the review. **

**Naomi Irving: Thankyou for the review!**

**PyroDragon88: Yep, they're all pretty evil guys at the moment! As you'll see, there's a bit of Aquashipping in this chappy, and don't worry 'cos there'll be more! And update Demonic Wars! It's great and original!**

**abstractmind: Feizhi IS manipulative. That is the perfect word to describe her. And as for the Saturos/Menardi part, well, I'm planning that for the next chappy, so wait and see, matey! lol!**

**Meneil: Yay! I'm so glad you're reviewing! And I'm glad you like Ivan as a Warlord (It sounds quite... humorous! ). And thank you too for pointing out that I'd literally repeated a whole paragraph in Chapter 4. I really don't know how that happened!**

**Thank yourrr (It's in 'You've Got Mail') for all your reviews!**

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**Please, Read, Review, and Enjoy!...**

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**Chapter Six: Promise**

Isaac stood, paralysed.

He watched as fear stabbed through him, and his emotions continued to swell. But, for all that he felt, he could not move. "Jenna…" he muttered, as his eyes grew wide.

He watched, immobilised, as they dragged her limp body away. He watched as they disappeared from sight. He had never felt more useless in his life… And yet, he could have done something, if only he hadn't missed that opportune moment. He had failed to save her, and it was no one else's fault, but his.

Then it struck him.

Isaac turned, shaking slightly, staring at the ground. He brought his vision up, and his eyes rested upon the girl who stood before him with a smug grin upon her face. That grin slowly disappeared as she stared into the contracted pupils of Isaac.

Suddenly those pupils dilated, and Isaac snarled. Taking a furious step forward, he grabbed hold of Feizhi's shoulders and shook her. "Where have they taken her! Where!" he yelled, making her gasp. Then his voice dipped so it was seething in anger and frustration. "You know them, don't you? This was your plan, to set me up, to take her away for an unknown reason… tell me everything." His lip quivered.

"I don't know… what you mean," she said tensely, clutching at his arms as he held her. "Get off me now!"

"Yes, you do know what I mean!" Isaac shouted back. "Tell me - !"

"What's this? What are you doing Isaac?"

He let go off Feizhi and instead took a tight hold upon her lower arm as if she might run away. Quickly, he turned to see Piers hurriedly walking towards them.

"Are you in this conspiracy too?" Isaac yelled at him, furious. "You know this girl? Planning to team up with all those – foreigners who took Jenna away!"

"Isaac..?" Piers muttered, bewildered. "What… what are you talking… what happened?" He looked from Isaac who was breathing heavily to Feizhi standing quietly next to him.

"They took Jenna," Isaac snarled, letting go of her arm and turning to face Piers full-on.

"Who did?" Piers asked, suddenly trying to suppress the anxiety and fear that was growing inside of him.

Isaac held up a shaking finger and pointed it at Feizhi who was now standing mutely before them, distant and calm. "Her… friends!" he spat, taking a step towards her. Piers immediately grabbed onto his arm, holding him back.

"Whatever happened, violence isn't going to sort it out!" he said hurriedly. "And nothing is going to get done if we stand here on the beach -"

"- She'll know where they've taken Jenna!" Isaac said scornfully, still not taking his eyes from Feizhi's passive face. "It's her you should be confronting, interrogating – whatever you want to call it!" He roughly pulled his arm from Piers' grip, and stood, breathing heavily, eyebrows furrowed.

There was a moment of silence.

Piers heaved a sigh and moved his gaze onto Feizhi. "I take it you're not planning on running away," he said. "Seeing as you are still here, and haven't made any moves to…"

Feizhi nodded mildly. "There would be no sense in me escaping," she said. "My job is done; I have no home to go to. I think I'll stay here for a while."

Piers frowned, suddenly feeling very lost. "Please, Isaac," he said. "For now, forget who's done this, and concentrate on Jenna. Does Felix know? Where is he?"

"How the hell do I know?" Isaac said, voice rising once more. The very thought of Jenna's older brother was downright pissing him off.

Piers quickly raised his hand, in an attempt to calm him. After staying in the village for a few days now, he had not once seen Isaac act like this. "You're normally so positive, Isaac," he said, saying his thoughts. "Try and be optimistic about the situation now. Jenna's not dead; otherwise they would have killed her on the beach. And more importantly, why did they do it in the first place?"

"Well, I'm sure she would know," Isaac said moodily, nodding towards Feizhi.

"Actually, I don't," she answered breezily.

Piers sighed, close to exasperation. "Well let us return to the village then," he said. "Standing around here all day, won't solve any problems, will it?"

He _was _right… about everything. This wasn't like Isaac to act out like this. He sighed, and turned to Piers, nodding, and still close to disbelief of whether this was happening or not. It was all too much of a coincidence…

* * *

It was reaching twilight. The dusk was settling in, and the noises that came only at night were starting to awaken. The soft moon hung low in the dying azure sky, as the Sun made its way slowly to the horizon.

Felix brought the reigns further under Isatis' jaw, and carried on along the dusted path. The horse's hooves kicked up dust clouds every time they were placed on the ground, while Felix's own footsteps were quiet.

He knew Sheba had come here; it was the place she had been brought up in – the only connection she had to where her family might have come from. And he had seen her leaving in the night.

It was a question to them all where Sheba had gone, but Felix had merely said that she had returned home. He said nothing else, and he knew Sheba wouldn't have wanted him to. But now he had to see her, and he had to see the man who might just have an idea about what was going on. The one who had cared for Sheba.

Isatis snorted, bringing Felix out of his thoughts. He patted her neck. "Not long now," he murmured, seeing the rise of buildings ahead of him. First he would go to the Inn and get Isatis into a stable with some decent food and water, but then he would have to see Sheba, and hope that she was with Faran.

It wasn't as busy as it might have been throughout the morning, but there were people around. They glanced slightly furtively at Felix as he walked past, eyes down and his long bangs shadowing his features, but they kept their distance, and carried on with their business as usual.

Felix tied Isatis up and slipped into the Inn, coming out soon afterwards with a stable for the mare and a room for the night. He took up Isatis' reigns once more and led her through the arch before bringing her into the designated stable. Once he had sorted her tack, and settled her in, he gave her strong neck a lost stroke before leaving, and feeling suddenly, strangely, alone.

"Excuse me?" Felix asked, walking carefully up to a young lady who was sweeping the area around her small white-washed house. She turned, and eyed him speculatively.

"Yes?" she said flatly.

Despite the disappearance of the Sun, the heat still hung uncomfortably in the air, and Felix felt his own perspiration trickle down his temple, his long hair making it all the more hot for him. "Do you know where the man Faran lives?" he asked, adjusting his cloak.

"Yes, he lives further down this road, by the river," she said coldly, still eying him. Felix gulped, and gave her his best smile.

"Thank you," he said, and turned away, happy to get out of her presence. He could still feel her eyes boring into his back as he walked away down the road.

* * *

"They _what_!" Garet slammed his fist on the table, causing it to shake dangerously. He jumped to his feet, which also happened to nearly topple the table over. It certainly wasn't having a good day today.

"You heard," Isaac muttered. "Jenna's gone, and it's my fault that they got her in the first place."

Garet was silent for a few seconds, thinking it over in his head. "Don't go blaming yourself, Isaac. That's not going to make anything better, and it's not true anyway."  
"He's right," Piers said, nodding. He looked at them seriously. "Does Ivan know yet? And Felix, more importantly… where is he? Does he know?"

"I haven't seen Felix for two days," Isaac said, feeling miserable. Garet patted him on the back comfortingly.

Just then, Mia hurried into the room, causing everyone to look up, surprised. She seemed rushed, and out of breath, and she came to a stop before them, looking around as if she were waiting for something.

"So Jenna's gone," she said in a tone that was strange to her.

Piers' eyes softened at the sight of her. Her presence was strange – familiar to him, as if he had known her for a long time, but there was another feeling there too, that he couldn't quiet explain. It was something he had never felt before, and yet, he felt more secure. "You heard then," he said quietly.

She nodded, not taking her eyes from him. She seemed almost oblivious to the others in the room. "I've just been comforting Jenna's mother, but that's not the point," she said, flicking a strand of hair from her eyes.

Isaac's eyes narrowed. "What do you mean?" he asked, leaning forward.

Mia sighed exasperatedly. "Don't you see?" she exclaimed, her voice rising. "Don't you see the coincidence? Don't you see what it all means?" She was near hysterical, and it unnerved everyone in the room. This certainly wasn't like Mia either.

She was staring at Isaac now, eyes wide, waiting for him to say something. Her breathing was shallow, and her hands rested on the table as she leant into it. Isaac didn't know what to say, so he frowned.

"Tell us Mia," came a quiet voice right next to her. She gasped and stepped back, surprised at her lack of control in herself. Her eyes flickered towards the person who had spoken, and they rested on the golden orbs that were watching her intently. "Tell us what you know," Piers said.

He could not take his eyes from her soft blue ones. The sensation that had been fluttering through his body was growing stronger – it was bursting with energy inside him, and he had an overpowering urge to reach out and touch her creamy-white cheek, or run his fingers through her flowing, soft hair. It was becoming too overpowering…

Piers broke their gaze, and looked to the floor. "Tell us what you know," he repeated, his muscles feeling tense.

Mia furrowed her eyebrows, mentally shaking her head. "Well…" she said slowly, trying to get herself back on track. "It's his doing. I know it; I've known him almost all of my life."

"Who's doing?" Isaac asked, fearing the answer. His fear was acknowledged.

"…Alex," came the quiet reply.

Surprised, everyone gazed over to the new person to talk. Feizhi leaned against the wall, arms folded, her eyes closed. She opened them and looked about the room, and there was no malice in her eyes this time.

There was an uncomfortable silence in the room.

* * *

It must have been a river once, but Felix wasn't quite sure what it would be called now. There was no water in it, only a few patches of scrub amongst the cracked ground of the bed.

Still, there were no other 'rivers' around the area, and it was at the bottom of the road the woman had told him to stay on. There was a small cottage further along by the riverbank, and seeing as there were no other houses around, it could only be Faran's house. If it wasn't, then Felix would have to continue looking.

He made his way towards the cottage, keeping to the edge of the bank, and tugged at his cloak around his neck. It was making things unbelievably hot for him, and he hadn't drunk for a while now.

But before he could reach the cottage, the door started to open, surprising him. Felix stopped in his tracks, and watched.

"Don't worry, I won't be long!" came the voice, almost annoyed. After a moment's pause, she said, "Yes, I know," and then shut the door behind her. She looked up, straight ahead of her.

And their eyes met.

Sheba blinked. "Felix?" she said, sounding quite confused. "What are you doing here? How did you know...?" Her voice trailed off, and she scratched her head, looking rather bemused. "You came here for me?" she asked finally, sounding too pleased for Felix's liking.

"Uh, I suppose," Felix said, walking slowly towards her. "But I do need to speak to Faran as well. Is that where he lives then?" he asked, nodding to the cottage behind the 14-year old.

"Yeah," Sheba answered, her smile fading. There was an awkward silence.

Maybe Felix had got to the point a bit too quickly. He decided to turn the subject back to Sheba. "So, how are you?" he asked, shrugging slightly.

"Oh I'm fine, thanks," she said, not looking at him. "And… thanks for saving me that day…" Before Felix could reply (rather uncomfortably), she turned away from him, and opened the door of the cottage.

"Faran!" she called in. "There's someone here to see you…"

A distinct grunt of annoyance emanated from the doorway, and then the gruff reply of, "I'm in here," followed.

Sheba left the door open and turned to Felix. "He's in there," she repeated, pointing over her shoulder. Then, she walked straight past Felix, and carried on up the road, not looking back.

Felix watched her, frowning, his arms dangling uselessly at his sides. _Did I hurt her feelings as well? _He asked himself, although the answer was blatantly obvious to him, and anyone who might have been watching.

Suddenly, a strong voice called out of the house again, making him jump. "Are you coming in, or are you just going to leave the door open!"

Well, he couldn't go after Sheba now, and his first purpose to come here _had _been to see Faran. Felix turned, and walked into the cool darkness of the house. He walked through the first door, to find himself in a room centred by a large table, sat at by one person. He looked up.

"Why hello, Felix," he said almost immediately. "I haven't seen you in a good four years…"

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Night was quickly settling in over the village and the sea. The stars were faintly twinkling in the sky, and the moon hung ethereally in its crescent.

Garet had since disappeared, saying that he had to stay responsible to his family. It was around this time, after all, when Aaron started to sleepwalk into the forest, and the 'mayor' hadn't been seen for a good few days – by Garet or anyone else.

In Garet's place, Ivan had arrived, and he, along with Isaac, Mia and Piers, had sat around the table with Feizhi, either falling into strong conversations, or lapses of silence and deep thought.

Feizhi had admitted it, straight out. She had told them everything she knew, and they had all listened intently to her words.

They had hired Feizhi because she had the appearance of someone from the village's land. They had met Alex, who had consequently joined with them in their aid to control this land, though it was possible that Alex wanted something else. And through Alex, they had ordered Feizhi to frame Isaac before they captured her. Once Feizhi's job was complete, it did not matter whether she remained in the village or not; her information was 'worthless', and their priority of capturing Jenna was complete.

Now the only question was who 'they' were.

"They are people of the North," Feizhi said, trying to explain. "And they are strong in the element of Fire." She paused. "I don't know what they were planning, and are still planning to do, but I'm pretty sure this land that you live on is worth more than you think… and that 'worth' is not in money."

"So, they may have been planning to attack our land and gain whatever this special thing is," Ivan said thoughtfully. "But they were probably made to believe, that by completing that objection, they had to first… weaken the people who lived there."

"Are you saying that's why they captured Jenna and framed me?" Isaac asked, beginning to understand. "So now Jenna thinks that I'm a two-timing womanizer or something?"

Ivan chuckled, while Piers smiled at his comment.

"Maybe," said Mia suddenly to Isaac, "You were framed, so Jenna felt betrayed. It would weaken _her _and they might be able to get some information out of it."

They were silent.

"I never saw it like that," Ivan said at last, impressed.

"But what information would Jenna know?" Isaac asked incredulously. "Up until Piers arrived here, this was a completely normal village on the coast of our land! And we don't even know what this 'special' thing is!"

Ivan coughed. "That's not entirely true," he said. "I was aware that there was always something… alchemic in our soil, but what that means is unknown to me."

Isaac stared at him. "You never said anything?" he said in a questioning tone.

"I never thought it was important, Isaac," Ivan said flatly. He turned to Feizhi. "What are these people called?" he asked. "These – people from the North?"

"The Proxians," she replied.

* * *

"The Proxians…" Faran said thoughtfully, lifting the water jug and refilling Felix's small mug. "They were the ones who tried to take her away four years ago. She was ten then, and she ended up living in your village from then on."

Felix nodded. "That's right," he said. "There was an incident on the cliffs by our village a couple of days ago, when Sheba noticed something out at sea. That led to her falling of the cliff, but she didn't get hurt – that's all that matters."

Faran didn't say anything. Instead, he penetrated Felix with an unblinking stare, and a stern expression. Felix gulped, for the second time feeling he was getting burnt by the fiery gaze of someone else.

"You're too modest," Faran said at last.

"I am?"

Faran sat back, and heaved a sigh. "You saved her, and yet you say nothing about it. Do you consider what you do not important? You've just spent an hour explaining the past three or four days of your village to me – is that not important?"

Felix was at a loss for words, and feeling rather confused. Faran however, carried on.

"The thing is Felix," he said. "You might not feel it necessary to say some things, like whether you saved Sheba or not, but don't you think of the consequences of what you do and don't say?"

Felix opened his mouth to say something, and then closed it again, suddenly remembering Sheba's expression after what he had said to her not long before. She had looked… disappointed, and hurt. She had looked hurt like Jenna was when she had learnt what Felix had said about Isaac.

"I'm… not good with people," Felix answered, shrugging. Faran, to his surprise, nodded understandingly.

"It seems you don't say the right things," he said. "You're rash with your words, without understanding the consequences. Perhaps you should work on that, and you might find that people around you aren't so hurt."

Felix stared at his mug sourly. This man had the amazing talent of making him feel small and stupid; but… His face softened. Faran was right, as usual.

"Thank you," he said, at last to Faran, looking up.

There was one thing though; whether Faran had given him advice or not (_more like a good telling off, _he thought), the subject had gone way off line. This conversation wasn't meant to be about himself – it was meant to be about the recent comings and goings of his village, considering that something cataclysmic was supposedly going to happen.

"Well, there's nothing else that can be said on the matter," Faran suddenly said. "You've told me everything about your village, right? There's nothing else to be said?"

"What...? No," Felix said, again being caught off guard by Faran's incessant jump from one subject to another. "No, there is nothing else I have to say. I would, however, like your opinion."

"My opinion on what?" Faran asked loudly, almost causing Felix to fall off his seat in disbelief. He couldn't remember the man being this difficult.

"Well… what do you think is going on?" he asked, determined to get an answer from Sheba's foster father. "The arrival of the Lemurian, and the news he brought with him; and then the arrival of the girl, Feizhi. Why was she so touchy about where she came from? Not to mention her all-out attack on us when she first arrived. We don't often get foreigners visiting our part, Faran, and for two to come in a matter of days seems more than a coincidence."

There. He had given Faran the information in a nutshell, minus a few points. He was an intelligent man, and his opinions were well respected, not least by Felix himself. Faran remained still for a moment, and the two watched each other; Felix, tense and waiting, and Faran, quiet and discerning. At last, the older man spoke.

"Where are you sleeping for the night? You can stay here if you want."

This time, Felix did balk and fall forward, almost knocking his mug over. He laughed nervously, and sat back in his chair, while internally fuming with frustration. "Thanks, but I have a room at the Inn for the night," he said. "And on a more important matter, you're never going to give me your opinion, are you?"

Faran was about to retaliate when the front door opened, and Sheba entered into the room. She sighed tiredly and flopped down into one of the chairs at the table. "Hi," she said breathlessly, smiling. She did not even glance at Felix.

Faran watched her, and then turned his gaze onto Felix who had his eyes down on the table sadly. Deciding it was the time, he yawned and got up from his seat.

"Well," Faran said, stretching. "I think I'll go for an evening walk and get some fresh air. Felix," he said, looking at the 18-year old sitting before him. "My opinion doesn't count. You have to rely on friendships with other people, and your own abilities to sort any problems out, and most importantly, remember what I told you."

Felix stared at him, but he felt his grudges for the man subside. He _was _clever, just… thoroughly annoying.

"Goodnight, Sheba," Faran said to the teenager.

"Goodnight," she answered, before the man walked out of the door, and the house, disappearing into the darkness. He left behind him the uncomfortable silence that always seemed inevitable when Felix was around.

Sheba sighed again, and leaned back in her chair, while Felix watched her tensely. _He's not going to say anything, _she thought angrily while trying to keep her expression calm. She mentally huffed. _What was I expecting of Felix anyway? It's not like he's going to apologise – he's so deluded. He thinks he's always right…_

She had had enough of waiting is silence. Sheba got abruptly to her feet and pushed her chair under the table. "I'm tired," she said touchily. "I'm going to bed." Whether she saw Felix the next day or not, she didn't care. _No… I do care… If only he realised how much he's hurting me…_

She turned on her heel determinedly and began to walk out of the room.

"Wait!"

Sheba found herself being held back, Felix's hand around her wrist. She turned slowly, and glared at him. "Yes, I'm waiting," she said.

"I'm… sorry, for earlier," Felix muttered, letting go of her arm now he had her attention. "Sometimes, I just like to get to the point, without thinking for others' feelings. I'm sorry, Sheba," he said again.

She made a noise in her throat, her face softening. "Apology accepted," she said, folding her arms.

Felix scratched the back of his neck. "I'm, err, leaving, tomorrow morning," he stammered slightly. "Are you going to stay here, or will you…?"

"Be going back?" Sheba finished for him. She hadn't actually decided whether she would be returning or not. She had come here at first, to visit Faran after not seeing him for a while, but returning back to the village hadn't appeared in her train of thoughts yet. She thought for a moment. "I will go back," she answered finally. "But I don't know whether it will be tomorrow morning, or if I'll stay here for a little bit longer."

"I'll be leaving early tomorrow," Felix said tersely. "If you want, I'll come here in the morning for you, and then you can decide if you want to come home or not."

_Home… _Sheba blinked, the word echoing through her mind. _Home… _"Okay then," she said, her voice cracking. What was her home anyway? She'd never had a proper home – never.

She suddenly wanted to get away, and be on her own. Company was not what she wanted at the moment, only the quiet darkness of her bedroom where she could think properly. "I'll see you tomorrow morning then," she said, and gave Felix a small wave before walking out and disappearing to her own quarters in the cottage.

Baffled, Felix sat in a house that wasn't his own. He couldn't even think properly. Slowly, he too got to his feet, clearing away the mug and water jug, before picking up his few belongings he had taken with him, and walking out of the cottage.

Quietly, he made his way up to the Inn, the cool night breeze refreshing him. The atmosphere was peaceful and calm, and as he walked up the dusty road, he came to realise the promise he had made. _I will take Sheba home, _he thought, just as the wind picked up once more. _I will take her home…

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**Ah, like I think I said in an earlier chapter, it's not going to be heavy lighthouseshipping. I think that there will just be a special relationship between Sheba and Felix - as friends. The romance part will focus more on Isaac and Jenna, and Piers and Mia.**

**Thanks for reading! (If you got this far)**

**You know what to do next! ... ...**


	7. Brilliance Of The Moon

**I Came, I Saw, I Conquered  
by Corycian Muse **

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**Well, yay, me. I finished this chapter, and like the last, a week earlier than I was expecting! (a couple of dull cheers in the background).  
Well, I love my descriptive writing in this chapter, it would put my English teacher to shame! (He told me my descriptions weren't very good, damn him).  
AND, thank you all so much for such encouraging reviews! It makes me so motivated and happy, thanks ya'all! **

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**Meneil: Thanks! I do try hard to have that suspense at the end of a chapter, and it's great you noticed.**

**SPQT: Ah, yes, I'll mention something 'bout 'action' at the AN at the end of this chappy, so don't ye worry. I was really pleased with the last chapter as well, and I still think it's my best so far! Thanks dude!**

**ShadeXH: You know what, my good friend? I like Alex too (wink, wink).And, I loved your rambling! In fact, I was so pleased that you'd hit it right on the spot! You completely understood the situation at the end of the last chapter, and that makes me so happy! Weeee! Go you!**

**Sakura Irving: (Gives her a big pat on the head) Thank you for reviewing each chapter so far, and it's been really good fun reading them! And... ooh dear... it seems my reviewers are rebelling against me here... I'll make a not on that at the end of the review answers (see down below somewhere)... Thanks for the reviews! **

**Shiny Milotic: (Me: now getting very scared that a small horde of angry people will start chasing me with pitchforks, and other dangerous, pointy objects) Ok, so maybe quite a few people are disagreeing with me here, and it seems I'm getting pretty cornered OO;;; Still, thanks for the review, and again, read the AN somewhere just below here...**

**Flora Jupiter Vixen: Thanks for the review! and I think the point that everyone's trying to make is slowly becoming clear to me. Oh dear, oh dear... **

**Master Of Reality: (gasp) Thank you! And that means a lot to me too, seeing as you're an excellent writer yourself! Wow, what an encouraging review! Thank you again so much! nn ( ---- extra happy smile)**

**abstractmind: As always, thanks so much for your great reviews! I liked the table part as well, lol! Feizhi is around 16-17, probably 17. **

**PyroDragon88: Aah, my proud Aquashipping friend! I'm going to be doing something a bit cruel in this chapter, but you'll have to trust me that, in the end, it's great angst, and a great... well, I don't want to go into it. Just trust me! I love Aquashipping as well! Thanks for the review! **

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**AN: Ahem... now onto a subject that's getting a bit heated. Lighthouseshipping. I've got some people who don't want it, and some who are threatening me with lightning bolts (which is a little frightening). Whatever it will become, romantic or just friends, I can't decide yet. In fact, I'm just going to let it see how it goes, and either compromise and go in-between friendship and full-fledged romance, or do whatever is best for the story's plotline. There! I have spoken, and so be it. Laa dee da. Thanks for all your reviews. **

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Please Read, Review, And Enjoy! .. ... ...

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**Chapter Seven: Brilliance Of The Moon**

She'd never felt so… heavy, and exhausted in all her life; and yet, the reason for those sensations came very slowly to Jenna's mind.

The room was dimly lit and stuffy, and a rising sensation of heat rose in her stomach. She pushed herself upright in the bed, to find it was rather small to be given that name.

"Here," came a gentle voice from beside her. Jenna jerked forward with surprise, and saw that she was not alone in the cabin. "Drink this," the woman urged, moving the glass further to her, wanting her to take it. "It will help with any pain you might be feeling."

Jenna didn't hear her words. She stared at the stranger, frozen. Crimson eyes looked back.

Abruptly, before the woman could do anything, Jenna had knocked the glass away from her so it fell to the floor, spilling its contents everywhere. She pushed herself back against the wall of the cabin and glared at the Proxian.

"Who the hell are you?" Jenna snarled, trembling. _What a stupid question, _Jenna thought, _she's one of 'them', one of the people who took me away._

In answer she got a sigh. "Look," the woman said, sounding rather touchy. "The business of you being taken by my clan has nothing to do with me. I had no decision in it, and if I had, we would not even be in this part of the world. I'm sorry, young one, but blame someone else."

Jenna continued to glare.

The woman's eyebrow twitched.

"I'll get you another drink," she said finally, getting to her feet. Without another word, she marched out of the cabin and shut the door brusquely behind her, leaving Jenna in the gloomy shadows.

* * *

"This whole plan is going to be a failure!" Menardi said, staring frustratedly at Saturos as he continued to steer the ship. It had been half a day since the incident on the beach, and still the tall Proxian kept his spot at the helm, comforted as the sky darkened above him, and the light disappeared ahead upon the horizon.

He gave Menardi a sideways glance, and grunted. "It won't be a failure," he said, turning his sight back again to the ship's path. Two other Proxian galleons sailed not far behind, keeping on course with Saturos' own ship. "The plan was clever, and it was a success. Whether Alex is working for himself, or he is trying to aid us, it does not rightly matter. What matters is that we gain more information, which will eventually lead to the destruction of the Terra Umbrarum. _That _is what truly matters."

"And if the girl won't comply with our decisions…?" Menardi asked.

"Then we'll force her," was the flat reply.

Menardi waited a moment, hoping he would continue, hoping he wouldn't ignore her like this. He seemed so cold and distant towards her, and it was unnerving. He said nothing.

She huffed, and was about to turn on her heel, when she stopped, and glared at him. "We had love once," she said in a harsh voice. "You and I, we had love – we loved each other like there was no one else. Other people were shadows in our life, distant and unimportant." She lay her hand on his arm, trembling slightly with her overflow of emotions. Saturos' brow twitched nervously.

"That love is no more, and you are well aware of that," he said in a low voice. "You should let go of the past Menar-"

"No! No… I shouldn't, and neither should you," Menardi said, her voice rising.

"What I should do is what I think is best," Saturos answered, his tone getting angry. He turned the wheel slightly, frowning, trying to keep Menardi at a distance in his mind. He didn't want her close. She brought with her too many memories, too much pain. He wanted her… to go away. "Reflecting on your past may be good, but there are some things that are better forgotten," he said sternly, brushing her hand off his arm.

Menardi felt like she'd been stabbed in the heart. Her eyes suddenly burned and tingled, and she tried desperately to hold back her tears and keep her dignity. "So," she began quietly. "You are saying we should forget our past, is that right?"

Saturos did not answer.

"Well," Menardi said, flicking a strand of hair from her eyes and holding her head up. "I guess love can be easily forgotten – I mean, it obviously isn't important to you, is it? You, Saturos," she said savagely, "Only have love for yourself, you arrogant fool."

"Why don't you go and console in your sister, Menardi?" Saturos spat, drawing his eyes away from the ocean and penetrating Menardi with his gaze. "Because I am not interested in your petty talk, or your deluded adolescent yearnings of romance."

There was a moment of silence, before it was broken by the sound of Menardi's slap, as it rang out eerily across the roiling waves.

"I'll do that," she whispered slowly, her lips curling.

She walked away as the tears broke free from her crimson eyes. It had all happened so quickly, and now it was over and she was left with an unimaginable amount of aching pain inside her. She brushed her tears desperately away with her hand, hoping no one would notice. Her body shook with uncontrollable sorrow and despair, as her hormones overtook her mind. _You bastard, _she thought, as her chest heaved and a sob broke free from her.

* * *

Night swept in like a soft velvet blanket, covering the skies with its clear, twinkling stars. The air chilled Alex's skin, and it refreshed him to no end. He hadn't been out from his underside quarters all day, preferring rather to face the stuffy, discomfort of his room, than the face of Saturos. Doing that would be risking the chance of being questioned more, and he wanted to avoid it at all costs. They had captured Jenna, quite easily, and were now headed north into colder waters to remain on ground for a while in that far-off land.

Now certainly wasn't the time to be explaining things – he had to go over them in his own mind first, before informing anyone about the plans. Trying to inform Saturos, who seemed more like a brick wall when being talked to, than an understanding Proxian, would be a task that was painful to even think about.

Gulping in the fresh, bitter air, Alex took to walking around the ship, enjoying the breeze, and the soft rocking under his feet. His muscles ached and cramped, and stretching them felt good.

With nothing to disturb him, and the brilliant full moon like an eerie window in the sky, he was allowed to let his mind wander as it lay to ease. He leaned over the side of the ship, concentrating on nothing while his eyes watched the ripples and waves created by the ship's wake.

Now Jenna was on board with him, with no knowledge of his doing in her kidnap, it was time for Alex to decide just how he would be going around the matter of talking to her, and making her realise what was really going on under the obvious, and the ground…

* * *

Mia closed her eyes, ever so gently, and felt the ease from relaxing her tired mind. Then, she opened them again, and immediately felt the soreness creep back again, itching her eyes and making them water with fatigue. She sighed, not knowing what else to do.

Perhaps she wouldn't return to her home tonight. Perhaps she would just stay where she was atop the cliff, and be at one with nature. The soft, bouncy grass beneath her was as good as any straw mattress, if not, better, and after a long, heated day, the cooling breeze that skimmed over the waters to gently caress her face was, simply put, beautiful.

Or at least, it felt beautiful.

Carefully, she rolled onto her back, and stared up at the continuous night sky. It went on forever, never-ending, touched by stars' glimmering light only to continue on, for eternity. The thought partly frightened her, but it was drowned out by a new feeling of wonder. All around Mia was darkness and shadows, and yet, there, right above her, hanging like a glowing orb of promise, was the moon, perfectly rounded, and allowing this black world some peace.

"The Moon is our satellite, and perhaps, more beautiful than the Sun, or the Stars."

Mia looked sideways, unable to be startled by such a gentle voice. She smiled, as Piers, still staring up at the moon, sat down gently beside her. "I think the moon would only be beautiful if the stars were to accompany it, as they are. Some things are more beautiful together," she said, sitting up slowly to lean back on her elbows, watching him with her sapphire eyes.

Piers looked sideways at her, sadness evident in his eyes. He said nothing.

Mia scowled slightly. "What's wrong?" she asked, understanding the Lemurian on a whole new level after only four days now. In fact, now she thought about it, they had spent quite a lot of time in each other's presence; Piers had immediately warmed to her, when she was the first person he met upon his arrival in the unknown land.

There had been no discomfort with each other, but now, something was wrong, and he had not yet answered her question.

"Piers," Mia said firmly, sitting forward. Before she knew what she was doing, she had laid her hand on his leg. _Damn, it should have been further up, not there! On his arm; his arm…_Mia desperately wondered what to do, feeling that awkwardness, and discomfort looming towards her.

Piers stared at her hand unblinkingly, and suddenly sensed her tenseness flow onto him.

Mia's heart was thumping painfully fast, and she felt her arm go weak. _Great, _she thought, cringing inwardly. _Now the adrenaline's kicking in… Oh God…_

Suddenly, her mind froze. She stared at Piers' hand, now on top of hers, and held her breath, eyes wide. Slowly, her gaze drifted upwards, to find with astonishment, that Piers was looking straight back at her, a smile evident on his lips. His aquamarine eyes glittered like jewels in the moonlight.

Slowly, he curled his fingers around her smaller hand, and lifted it from his leg. Then he turned full-on to her, and decided to keep her hand in his. He closed his eyes, still smiling, and then looked back at her.

"I'm sorry, Mia," he said finally, as his face fell back to a calm, indifferent expression. Mia didn't look at him. She stared hard at the grass, playing softly in the breeze. She hated those words – hated someone starting with an apology for what they might say next. It made her dread his next sentence, made her heart fall.

There was a pregnant pause, when Piers bowed his head in deep thought.

When he gazed up, he saw Mia was still not looking him in the eye. Gently, he lifted her chin so she was looking at him, and so he had her attention. "Mia," he said, as their eyes locked in each others. "Isaac and I have been talking for a long time."

"I know," Mia said, her voice cracking slightly. It was true that the two had been in deep conversation for the rest of that evening, and that Mia had left, needing the fresh air, and needing to clear her head.

"We've come to a decision about Jenna," Piers continued, and it was hard for Mia to not notice the soft decline in his voice, as it fell into what seemed to be a grave sorrow. "I've been here for a few days, and already problems have begun to take place," Piers said, unconsciously squeezing her hand, of which she was very aware of. "We know these people are after something, and it is very probable, as you said, that Alex is playing a part in all this. It seems more than a coincidence that he left you that day."

_He left _me. _He left me for the second time in our lives, _Mia thought bitterly, her gaze moving off to the left as the memory passed through her mind.

"We're going after Jenna," Piers murmured.

The nightingale's voice, and the rustling through the trees and grass were suddenly so evident in Mia's world. The waves below her echoed through the air, reaching over the cliff tops. The endless sky seemed even higher than before, and the brilliance of the moon bore down on her. But above all this, his words reverberated through her head, endlessly repeating itself over, engraving its meaning each time.

"When are you leaving?" she asked, trying to keep her voice strong. Strangely, the tiredness that caused her eyes to be watery disappeared, and her sight remained clear. Was she expecting to cry?

"We're leaving tomorrow morning," he answered, and said nothing more. His hand gripped hers tightly, and she held back, and this link between them was enough to show the connection, and the emotion they both felt at that moment. Mia had never felt like this before, but it seemed, that yet again someone was leaving her behind.

"Felix may return any day," Piers said after a long time in silence. "When he does arrive back, it will be good that there's someone here sensitive enough to explain to him what's happened."

Mia still did not look at him. _Is that all I'm good for? _She wondered morosely, but despite her thoughts, she nodded slightly. "Fine," she answered. To her surprise, she saw out of the corner of her eye a change in Piers' expression, and when she turned to glance at him, she saw he was smiling.

"Goodbye, Mia," he said, and leaned forward to kiss her gently on her cheek. His lips lingered for a fleeting moment, and then his warmth was gone, leaving behind a bitter, empty air.

Her surprise at his unpredictable act dissipated, and it left a new feeling that touched her coldly, causing her to shiver. She could still feel his lips on her cheek, and it refused to leave, like an old imprinted memory from the past. Mia felt very much alone.

* * *

"Well, you've taken your time, haven't you?" Jenna said coldly, looking up from where she sat with hard, glaring eyes.

Menardi scowled. "Seeing as you weren't too enthusiastic with the last drink I offered you, you seem to have changed your perspective," she said dismissively. Not looking the younger adept in the eye, she placed the cup before her, and turned away, not wanting her face to be seen too clearly.

Too late.

"So what's happened up on deck to have started the roll of emotions then?"

Damn, this girl was too perceptive. Menardi scowled yet again, and mentally rolled her eyes. "What is it to do with you, what happens and doesn't happen in my life?"

"It might be nothing to do with me," Jenna started, "But obviously something's got you upset, it's so blatantly obvious on your face. I just thought you might want someone to talk to, that's all. It must be pretty lonely, staying on this ship with the likes of them all the time."

'_The likes of them'_? What the hell did she mean by that? Menardi turned, and glared furiously at Jenna. "They are like my family!" she said, breathing hard. "I am connected to each and every one of them, a kind of feeling you couldn't possible imagine."

"Do you even know what you're saying?" Jenna answered derisively. "Do you have any idea at all where I lived before you pirates kidnapped me away on a merry ride across the seas?" Already she could tell the Proxian was taken aback by her words. "I lived in a closely-knit village, where everyone knew everyone, and everyone's problem was another's problem. We were like a family too, our village, and I have absolutely every idea what you mean by that. Don't go telling me what I do and don't know when you have no idea yourself."

The silence hung in the air like a heavy fog, pressing down on them.

To Jenna's absolute surprise, Menardi sat down on the edge of the hammock, a little way from where she sat herself. "Here's your drink," the woman said, in a dried-out voice. "It's not poisoned or anything."

Carefully, Jenna took the cup, and brought it up to her lips. She took a sip, and found a surging of warmth to all parts of her body, and a sense of ease slowly taking the place of her discomfort. "It has alcohol?" She asked, surprised at herself for actually enjoying the drink.

"I suppose that's what you call it," Menardi answered, a little evasive. She seemed almost unable to talk, like she was on the brink, on the knife-edge, just waiting for the scales to tip before she fell into a chasm of chaotic emotions and stricken pain. What Jenna was to hear next, would certainly take her by surprise. "Would you like to come out into the open air for a bit? It's a beautiful night."

Jenna gawped. After immediately deeming it was her fate to be imprisoned in this cramped 'room' for whatever reason they had decided to take her in the first place, to be offered this freedom was something unexpected.

She gulped, closing her mouth again. "Sure," she said, her turn this time, to have a croaky voice. Having the fresh air certainly would take her mind off Isaac. He had constantly been invading her thoughts ever since she had gained consciousness, and it was something she'd rather forget. His betrayal was painful to her. A feeling she had not yet felt before.

That was when it occurred to Jenna. She supposed she would have wanted to _return _to her village; it would have been only natural. But… what was happening while she was here, sitting on this ship? _And Isaac? _Jenna pursed her lips, feeling slightly disorientated. The alcohol hadn't been much help, however nice it felt.

Perhaps she didn't want to return back too quickly. Could she face up to what might be taking place, with Isaac, with that stranger, with his treacherous acts he had done in front of her? They had embraced, right before her eyes, as if Isaac was saying that he had enough of Jenna, that he had moved on to someone else. _Moved on quickly, didn't he? _She thought sourly.

Suddenly feeling more determined in her motives, Jenna looked the woman straight in the eye. "I'm Jenna," she stated clearly, head held high. "And thank you for the drink."

"I am Menardi," the woman answered, nodding her head slightly. Though her face did not show it, her eyes did. It was the first time Jenna had seen her smile.

* * *

It wasn't rightly morning yet – the Sun hadn't even properly risen.

Felix sat in the darkness of his small room, thankful that he would be on the road again very soon and, hopefully, with Sheba alongside him. After a restless night of fidgeting and pestering thoughts, he finally decided that perhaps it was best to get Isatis ready before he left for Faran's house. If she did choose to stay, then he would not have to return to the Inn and face another walk down the road with people's eyes upon him.

He would also not have to face the possibility of seeing Sheba again when he retreated back through the small town, ready to leave.

Nervous now, he found himself biting his nails in impatience; they weren't some of Felix's greatest traits. The anxiety made him jumpy, and yet, he wasn't entirely sure why he was so tense. It was a simple yes-no answer on Sheba's behalf, and he would have to deal with results, returning back to his village, with not much of a reason why he had left in the first place, if she decided to stay.

_If she decided to stay; _it was the second time that outcome had occurred in Felix's train of thoughts. Perhaps he was being too negative about it. There was every chance that Sheba would decide to return with him… Every chance.

Sighing, and giving in to his ever-confusing thoughts, Felix gathered his few belonging to him, and left his room, and the Inn, for the stables and his horse. It was time to leave once again.

* * *

"Shall we go then?"

"Uh huh," Jenna said, getting to her feet. Menardi followed suit and they made their way out of the stuffy cabin to go above deck. Jenna turned slightly towards some worn, wooden steps that would have eventually led the two to the helm of the ship, had Menardi not steered Jenna away. She had no desire to see Saturos again, or to see his reaction at her allowing the girl to roam free on board.

"Come," she said, beckoning for Jenna to follow. "We'll go to the prow of the ship, so you can get a better view."

"A view?" Jenna answered, slightly bemused. "What is there to see?"

She did not get an answer in words, but a knowing look was sent her way. Shrugging, she followed the older woman up some opposite steps while trying to look where she was going. It was hard when she so desired to stare up at the endless sky above her, dark and comforting, and filled with dim stars. Just behind her lay the waning moon, slowly travelling into the enfolding blackness of her homeland.

Averting her eyes, Jenna looked ahead of her, but her vision was blocked by masts and ropes, swaying gently or tied up in mounds, like great snakes, twisted around the bark of trees. However, through all these darkening silhouettes was the faint and ever-growing glow of the horizon.

A sudden burst of wind gusted into Jenna's back, pushing her forward, urging her on. The ship was sailing with the breeze, as the high sails caught the wind, blowing wide. Taking a prancing step forward, Jenna jumped up to the wooden railings and leaned over, unable to hold in her smile.

The clean-cut sides of the sip cut into the waters as it skimmed across the surface. The waves moved with the vessel, carrying it forward, as they were slowly parted by the prow of the ship. Their destination on the horizon was pin-pointed by the rising of the Sun, as a low mist covered the ocean in the distance.

"So this means we're travelling east," Jenna muttered, more to herself than anyone else. Menardi gave her a sideways glance, the corner of her mouth turned upwards. This girl, she definitely took her mind away from other problems in her life.

"The sunset is so beautiful!" Jenna suddenly exclaimed, happily watching the sea spray elegantly upwards below her, and this time, Menardi smiled fully.

She hung back from the younger adept, lingering by the mast's base, hidden somewhat by its shadow. The horizon was just as clear from where she stood, but she felt the need to give Jenna room. The fresh air made changes in people, and it certainly livened the girl's spirit.

Quietly, silently, Menardi turned away from the prow. Jenna could now do what she wanted; she was free to move wherever she wished on the ship, and Menardi had granted her this. It made no difference; she could not escape in the middle of the ocean, and Menardi herself needed time on her own, to think, to clear her mind.

She slipped back into the shadows of the ship, and her expression had already returned to that of someone saddened, and full of regret.

"The mist… I never knew the fog reached so far out to sea," Jenna said quietly, musing. "I have never seen it before, and it's so beautiful," she repeated, lowering her eyebrows over wide eyes.

The Sun's rays glared up into the dying darkness, penetrating into the sky, destroying all means of night. It was a beacon, slowly rising up above the ocean, bursting with brightness and so many shades of orange and gold. It granted Jenna an uncanny feeling that hypnotised her – that this rising sun beheld a gentle magnificence.

Jenna blinked, and suddenly glanced to her left, breaking her connection with the sensation inside her. It dissipated and broke into a thousand pieces, but was immediately forgotten. All warmth left her, and her breath caught in her throat.

Cold, icy blue eyes stared back at her.

Dying slowly, unnoticed, the Moon sank back into the shadows, waiting for the next night to come. The glowing light melted the dark sky, and the stars disappeared. The air was filled with new, fresh warmth, but Jenna could not feel it. Her heart rose to her mouth, and she felt her pulse race with utter shock. She swallowed, as she gazed back at the man stood before her, so subdued, and yet, so intimidating.

Of all the unexpected happenings so far, to find that the person behind her kidnap was Alex, was the least unexpected of all.

* * *

**Aaah, the angst - the drama! The romance! Why have I put this story under the category of Action/Adventure? Well, I'm not entirely sure myself; I just hope some good ol' action comes in the next chapter or so (there definately will be in later chappys, ha haa! You wait!), or I may just change the category. I'm a bit puzzled about what to do about that Oo; Still, it's not important. This chapter was a bit of an interlude, but it had to be done, or the ensuing chapters wouldn't be able to happen. Still, I like it.**

**Please Review and leave your thoughts. **


	8. Departing Time

**I Came, I Saw, I Conquered  
by Corycian Muse

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Another chapter finished on time, which is good!  
I'm afraid Jenna and Alex will by duking it out (in a conversational way) in the next chapter...  
Oh dear.

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**Master of Reality: As always, thanks so much for the helpful, great review. I know what you mean about the Proxian bad-guy thing - I'm trying to write it so, eventually, we'll find that everyone is doing what they're doing because of their own reasons, and their own needs. No one is just, "the baddie". Everyone has their own situations that they're trying to deal with. Piers/Mia is the only Piers pairing that I can really associate with - he just doesn't seem that... suited for anyone! Anyway, it will be back with the Proxians next chapter, and I have to admit I'm looking forward to the action when it comes in later on! Hee hee hee...**

**ShadeXH: It completely makes sense - Menardi's a very interesting character! And what you say next does very much make sense as well. Menardi _is _finding comfort in Jenna, and Jenna vise versa. Menardi is one of the few women on board this particular ship, and being the 'ex-lover' of Saturos, co-captain of the small Proxian fleet, it's kind of her duty to look after the captor - Jenna. I have no idea what a Jenna/Menardi pairing would be called though - it would be quite interesting! Well, let us hope it doesn't get as far as a yuri relationship... Thanks so much for the great review!**

**Flora Jupiter Vixen: Thanks for the great review, and I'm sure you'll like this chapter! I think I'm giving in... ;**

**Sakura Irving: Heh, I'm glad you like all the descriptive writing, I like writing it too! And thanks for the compliment and the review!**

**S.P.Q.T: Merci Beaucoup! I really hope Jenna doesn't betray the village, but we'll have to wait and see. I also really hope Agatio doesn't have much to do with anything (not a big fan of the poor guy). Action still to come, but hold in there! It won't be long, I hope! Anyway, thanks for the review!**

**Meneil: Thank you for the review! Again, it's good to know the characterisations are good, as, in my opinion, they're relatively improtant in a story (lol). Thanks again!**

**abstractmind: As always, a great review to read! Jenna and Menardi together could get quite dangerous, couldn't it? Jenna and Alex will be creating a storm in the next chapter (I think - the storm part, that is), so we'll have to wait and see! Thanks for the review!**

**Thanks again for everyone's reviews; they all really help. **

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**Please Read, Review, and Enjoy! ... ... ...**

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Chapter Eight: Departing Time**

****Faran sat at the kitchen table, with the mug between his hands. His thoughts drifted endlessly as he stared blankly at the drink he was resting on the table. If someone asked him what was going through his mind at that particular moment, he wouldn't have had a clue.

It took him a while to realise Sheba was saying his name over and over again, before it slowly broke upon him, and he started, blinking. Scratching the back of his head and grinning sheepishly, he looked to the annoyed girl to apologise.

Sheba huffed. "Have you been drinking or something?" she asked, hands resting on hips as she glared at the older man suspiciously. "I've been calling your name for half an hour, it seems."

"Heh, I was thinking," Faran answered, still with a grin spread on his face.

"And what were you thinking about?"

"I couldn't tell you."

"…Oh… Well that could have two meanings -"

Before either of them could go further into the conversation, they were interrupted by a rapping at the door. The smile disappeared from Faran, and Sheba's eyes bored into the knotted wood as if trying to see who was standing on the other side. She had no uncertainty of who it was.

"Go answer it then," Faran said lazily, looking back at his mug again, though his attention was still firmly placed on his foster daughter. Sheba gave the man a reproachful glare for his command before walking along the short, dark hallway to open the door.

She rested her hand on the knob, and paused.

The door was rapped again. Felix could be so impatient.

Taking a deep breath, Sheba pulled back, and opened the door wide. "Hi," she said breathlessly. Felix smiled in return.

"Good morning," he answered quietly, shifting his weight on his feet. He frowned, and looked sideways, as if he wasn't sure how to put forward what he was going to say next. "I'll be leaving soon," he said, and paused, and Sheba found herself biting her lower lip. All this awkwardness was difficult – she wanted it over with.

"I'm still not certain," she said, answering his question for him, and immediately she felt foolish. This was not helping Felix at all, and Sheba knew it. She glanced up at him to find his frown had deepened. "Do you want to come in?" Sheba asked, if only to break the insufferable silence that was following.

"I'd rather not," Felix answered, glancing over his shoulder at the rising sun. "Like I said, I'll be leaving soon."

Sheba suddenly felt unsettled. His voice was cold, and she could feel her skin crawling. Felix wasn't like this normally. He wasn't cold towards her. This decision she had to make, it was important to him, she realised.

It meant a lot to her as well.

"Look…" she started, and immediately faltered, unable to go on. The bile was rising in her throat, and her stomach was squirming.

"Sheba," Felix murmured, "I'm not trying to pressure you…"

"It – it's not that," Sheba managed to say, her face going pale. Sucking in breath, she felt her ribs trying to heave. _This is too sudden, this is just unlucky, _she thought angrily, trying desperately to hold it down.

"Sheba?"

"Just – hang on a second!" Sheba managed to say, before spinning on her heel to rush indoors. Then she faltered, and stopped herself, thinking quickly. _Dammit, Faran's – in there. Don't want to be questioned. Don't want help. God, this is embarrassing._

Sheba turned again, and rushed around the house into the more shaded scrubland – just in time, it seemed.

Hands resting on her knees, Sheba leaned over, retching. The abrupt suddenness of it all shocked and humiliated her to no end. Could her nerves have been that bad to cause her to be sick?

The stitching pain in her sides hurt unbearably, and Sheba could feel her throat going raw. She could not help herself; it was all too much for her to cope. Her eyes stinging, she tried with desperation to hold her tears back, and keep at least a little dignity.

The heaving slowed and came to a halt, but the pain remained. Unmoving, Sheba stood, bent forward to catch her breath and gather her thoughts. She could almost feel the time moving around her.

A gentle, sure hand rested on her back. Sheba did nothing, only closed her eyes softly, still breathing heavily.

"Come on," murmured a voice precious to her. Felix lifted his hand from her back and reached down to carefully grasp her wrist. Sheba said nothing in return, she felt so drained of energy, so ready to give up. The firm grip on her arm strangely reassured her. It was a connection that brought her out of the loneliness, out of the unnerving sorrow that had fallen upon her so unexpectedly.

Stumbling slightly, Sheba managed to keep her balance as she allowed herself to be led back into the small cottage, and into the comforting shadows away from the bearing, morning sun.

Faran was already at work in one of the back rooms, leaning over scrolls of parchment, unaware of what was happening outside the room he sat in.

Felix drew Sheba up in front of him, pressing his hand into her lower back. "Go upstairs," he said, in the same soft, distant voice he had used earlier. Slowly, Sheba began to climb the stairs, Felix close behind.

Reaching the top step, he took her gently by the wrist once more, and led her into the small bathroom. It was more basic than usual, which might have been expected from the small cottage.

"Sit there." Sheba sat.

Taking up a cloth and running it in the water, Felix rinsed it slightly and turned back to Sheba, face expressionless. He lifted it to her clammy forehead, and held it there, not affectionate, but not uncaring either.

"Why are you doing this to me?" Sheba asked croakily, not certain of what she meant entirely.

"Because you were sick," came the reply.

"But why are you being so cold towards me? I don't like it," Sheba persisted, furrowing her eyebrows as she tried to concentrate.

"I'm not being cold," Felix answered, concentrating on the cloth.

"Yes… you are," Sheba retorted.

"I'm not -"

"You are, dammit!" Sheba suddenly yelled, hitting Felix's hand away from her furiously. She stood up as Felix did the same. "Ever since you arrived here this morning, you've talked to me like a stranger, like I'm not important to you. I thought the whole reason why you came, was because you wanted me to return back with you - well let me tell you, you're going the wrong way about it!" Her emotions in overdrive, Sheba glared into Felix's eyes as her own overflowed with hurt and anger.

There was a pregnant pause.

Felix broke the gaze between them, and bent down to pick up the dropped cloth, his mane falling over his shoulders. He stood up once more, and handed the soaked material to Sheba.

"Perhaps you better do it," he said quietly, his calm façade threatening to fall. Sheba could see his emotions swelling through his hazel eyes like a tormenting fire.

Felix closed his eyes, and let out a deep breath before opening them again to look warily at Sheba. She was staring at the cloth in her hand, unmoving, and suddenly subdued. He sighed, reaching up to rub the back of his aching neck. This was getting too difficult, too exhausting – too harrowing. If Sheba was unable to make up her mind, then, perhaps it was best that he simply left.

It was obvious that they were both feeling the strain, and Sheba _was _making things complicated.

"I know what you're thinking," Sheba abruptly said, shattering Felix's thoughts. He diverted his gaze slowly to her, giving her his attention. But, to his slight annoyance, she turned away from him and took out a glass from the cabinet to get a drink of water.

"Stop messing with me," Felix muttered, clearly loosing his nonchalance.

"I'm getting a drink – I did just throw up, you know."

"I see."

Sheba gulped down the drink, and wiped her face for the last time with the cloth before throwing it in the wide sink and drying her face with a coarse towel. "Let's get back to square one," she said, already understanding she had touched a nerve on Felix. Who could ever explain why, but Sheba had the controlling urge to see how far she could push him to the limit. How far she could play with him, annoy him and frustrate him.

Felix rolled his eyes. "Sheba," he said roughly. "If you do not decide in five minutes, then I am leaving, whether you are with me or not." He raised his eyebrows at her as he spoke. "There is no 'going back to square one', and there is no playing about. I'm being serious – it would be good if you were too."

His words were unusually harsh, and Sheba unconsciously managed to protect herself from the hurt they may have caused. Her breathing still slightly laboured from retching, she pulled on a face of calm confidence, and stepped close to Felix, invading his personal space. He looked down at her, slightly quizzical.

"What's the matter?" Sheba asked. "Why do I get the feeling you just don't care anymore? Why are you being so impatient?"

"I'm being impatient because if I don't leave soon, I will not arrive back in time for tomorrow morning," Felix snapped, already disliking the close proximity. "Come, or don't come – it's all you have to decide."

"I know, but it's hard!" Sheba protested unthinkingly.

"It is _not _hard!" Felix replied hotly. "Stop behaving so _childishly_."

Sheba froze, completely shocked by his words. "Felix," she managed to whisper, looking at him with wide eyes. Felix returned the gaze with a hard stare. For the second time that morning, she felt her eyes starting to burn with ferocity, her tears threatening to spill out. Pursing her lips and rolling her eyes to the ceiling, Sheba hoped Felix wouldn't see her on the brink of a tearful breakdown.

Felix had never called her _childish. _She had always dreaded him thinking it, because she was four years younger. But for that one word to spill from him, whether he was angry or not, it meant that he had thought it – it was proof. And it hurt. Sheba's breath kept catching in her throat; she hoped like mad she wouldn't throw up again.

"I can't believe you just said that," she managed to say breathlessly, her eyes returning to dryness.

"And I can't understand why you're acting so difficult," Felix retorted, not looking at her. When Sheba said nothing in return, he turned and pulled open the door to leave. Sheba did not stop him. Scowling, he moved out and began down the stairs despite his sudden need to go back to her. His heart wanted to return to Sheba and make amends, but his head was telling him to leave. They were in conflict, and this was not getting any easier.

Sheba's chest rose and fell. She stared at the glass in her hands unblinkingly. It glittered brightly in the sunlight.

The door slamming open behind him was enough for Felix to stop in his descend of the stairs. He glanced over his shoulder to see Sheba glaring down at him, unsurprisingly.

"Don't leave," she said, her voice wobbling – perhaps in anger.

"No Sheba, I _am _leaving," Felix answered, regaining his cool demeanour. He returned his gaze to the stairs in front of him, his back turned to her. "It is you who has decide whether you are coming with me, or not."

Sheba drew in breath quickly. "Why are you being such a bastard?" she snarled, and immediately bit her lip, regretting her words.

Felix said nothing. Slowly, he turned and began to climb the stairs, eyes narrowed. Sheba took a step backwards. "I…" she began to say, when suddenly his shadow fell across her face. This time, he was invading _her _personal space, and for a second Sheba felt the unnerving need to run.

"I'll take that," Felix muttered icily, grasping the glass that Sheba had been holding defensively in front of her. She hadn't even realised she was still holding it when she had burst out of the bathroom.

Brushing past her, Felix put it on the sill above the sink. Then he walked swiftly out again, and shut the door behind him with a snap. Sheba, unable to move, could only watch him as he walked past her again, and into her bedroom. She listened as she heard her chest being opened, and the sound of fabric against fabric emanating from the doorway.

Finding herself, she took a step forward, and walked slowly to the doorway. Felix was thrusting her clothes into one of Faran's old leather bags. He glanced up at her, his expression unreadable.

"You know what, Sheba?" Felix began, as he continued to pack Sheba's things. "I made a promise to myself last night. I promised that I would take you back with me."

Sheba said nothing in return.

Felix continued, "But you still have your own decision. Whether I make a promise or not, I can't push you into anything." He slammed the chest shut, and looked around the room for anything else she might need to take that he could fit into the bag. "However," he said offhandedly. "If you can't make that decision for yourself despite all the time that I've given, then I will make it for you."

"You… just don't understand, do you?" Sheba remarked quietly.

Felix tied the bag up, pulling stiffly on the cords. "And what is there to understand exactly?" he questioned.

"Our friendship," Sheba answered, her voice hoarse and unconfident. "The situation, your attitude -"

"- My attitude!" Felix interrupted incredulously with raised eyebrows.

"You were the one who was so cold," Sheba persisted. "You were so distant and uncaring. How is that going to make me feel, when I have to make a choice about if I'm going back with you or not?"

Felix stared at her with wide eyes, suddenly lost for words. Remembering what Faran had told him yesterday, an overwhelming rush of foolishness flooded over him. He hadn't learnt anything at all. "Sorry," he said gruffly, not looking at her. Sheba's own face softened slightly.

There was an awkward, stale-mated silence between the two.

Felix stared at the bag resting on the bed, then up at Sheba. "I really have to know," he murmured calmly. "Because I have to return home by tomorrow – I have to see Jenna… to apologise."

Sheba didn't question why – it was between Jenna and her brother. But Felix had used that same word that rang through her head, the one word that meant so much, and yet did not have a meaning for her. _Home…_

"I'm sorry, Felix," she said slowly, and she felt her stomach begin to squirm again. "I've made my decision." Felix froze at her words. He watched her carefully, and she continued. "I've decided, I… won't be going back – at least, not yet."

Felix's heart fell.

"Right," he said, his voice cracking. He glanced out of the window, the Sun already high up over the horizon, before pinching the bridge of his nose and closing his eyes. "Well, this is goodbye then."

Sheba gulped, nodding.

Neither of them said anything. To say the words of farewell seemed so utterly impossible, and so painful. Sheba found she was hugging herself. Felix's eyes were open, looking intently at something that wasn't there.

Slowly, carefully, he turned, and walked away from Sheba. Silently making his way down the stairs, he moved towards the front door and opened it quietly, before shutting it behind him. Unseen, Faran watched him as he left the house, smiling grimly.

Getting up from his seat, he rolled the kinks out of his neck, and sighed, before making his way upstairs.

"Sheba," Faran said kindly, and she looked up at him from where she sat on the bed in despair. "Your bag is packed… why don't you leave?"

She smiled tearfully.

* * *

There air itself was chilly and a strong breeze blew out across the sea. However, the dull grey sky was blank and empty and full of nothingness. Just like Mia's eyes. She did not take them from Piers as he helped Isaac with the ropes on the deck of his ship.

She watched him as he spoke, as he told Isaac how it was done. She watched his hair lift in the breeze and fly about his beautiful face. She did not smile, or frown, or cry. Mia simply watched.

"Mia," Ivan said gently, his own thick cloak billowing about him as they stood along the low cliffs. "They will be coming back - Isaac, Piers _and _Jenna."

"I know," Mia answered, emotionless.

Piers was hefting at a strong rope that led up to the tied sails of the ship. He called out to Isaac who turned and unwound another rope opposite. The rigging lifted, and the sails fell heftily, before catching the wind and bursting forward. Piers pulled the roping, and secured it.

The ship was forced out as the wind and current tried desperately to carry it away from shore, but it was held fast, bound to the cliffs, for the moment, at least.

Isaac jumped ashore one last time, with Piers just behind, and they moved quickly forwards, stepping up the steady rise of the cliff path.

"Well, this is goodbye for now," Isaac said, coming to a stop before Ivan, Mia, and Garet who now stood unusually sombre before them. "Farewell, Ivan," he continued. "Look after the village, like you always do so well."

"I will do my best," Ivan answered, taking in a breath of the fresh air. "And you, Piers," he said to the Lemurian who turned his golden eyes to the Warlord. "Take care of Isaac – I'm trusting you." Piers only nodded in answer, subdued.

Isaac turned to Mia, and smiled, sadly. Her empty face only gave away the emotions she was feeling. Isaac had known her long enough to understand her, and it was saddening. He frowned, then raised his eyebrows, and pulled her close, giving her a warm hug before drawing away once more. "Mia," he said her name quietly. "Don't get so caught up in Alex. If we meet him, we'll bring him back. He'll be like he used to be, don't worry."

If only for Isaac, Mia forced herself to smile. "Thank you," she said, her eyes flickering. Isaac didn't understand that Alex had never changed. He was the same now, as he was when she first met him all those years ago. No one could bring him back, but that was only half of her sorrow. She turned her clear blue eyes to Piers, and they watched each other distantly.

"Goodbye, my good friends," Garet said, trying to stifle a sniffle as he rubbed his nose gently.

"Sorry to leave you out of the action," Isaac said, smiling brightly to his close friend. Garet grinned, still trying to suppress his tears.

Piers nodded politely to Ivan and Garet, giving them one of his gently smiles. Again, his eyes wandered to Mia's, and he sighed inaudibly, before taking a step closer to her. "Goodbye," he murmured, and he lifted his hand to gently stroke the spot on her cheek where he had kissed her the night before. Mia found herself leaning into his hand, longing for it to stay. "Remember the night under the stars," he whispered.

"I will," she answered, looking down, shadowing her features.

Isaac rested his hand on Piers' shoulder. "The wind is in the right direction," he said. "It's time to go."

Slowly, grudgingly, Piers drew his hand away from Mia's pale face. "I have to leave now," he said to her, his face drawn and tired.

"I know," she answered sadly.

Piers moved away to return back the ship, and Isaac followed behind.

"Make sure you come back with Jenna!" Garet called out. "Or I'll never forgive you!"

"We will," Isaac yelled over his shoulder, smiling. "But remember, she's mine!"

Garet laughed, waving his hand down to them while taking a handkerchief from his pocket with the other hand. _Felix wouldn't be too happy if he heard Isaac say that, _he thought, as he brought the fabric up to blow his nose with affection.

Isaac headed to the prow of the ship while Piers drew the short sword from the sheath attached to his hip with one swift motion, and brought it down in a flash onto the rope holding them to the cliff. Slicing the coarse material as if it were nothing, the magnificent ship lurched forward, the bright sails wide above their heads.

Garet continued to wave, sniffling into his handkerchief. "We'll miss you!" he bellowed as the ship travelled smoothly and quickly through the waves.

Ivan glanced to Mia beside him, smiling slightly. "I think this has been, and will be a success," he said quietly, and Mia returned the smile, unexplainably feeling more positive.

"They'll be back in no time," she muttered determinedly.

* * *

"Come on then," Felix murmured, stroking under Isatis' head. "It's time for us to go home." He checked the bridle a last time, and that the girth strap wasn't too tight. He wouldn't ride horseback until he left through the gates of the village. Only then would he tighten the leather strap running under the horse's belly, to give Isatis the most comfort she could get.

Reaching up, he attached his scabbard to Isatis' side, and wiped a trickle of sweat from his temple.

Taking the reigns into his right hand, and drawing the horse forward, Felix and Isatis left the shade of the tree and began their journey home.

Walking up the dusty, sun-beaten road, Felix received the same hard stares he had been given when he had first arrived here yesterday. Women stopped in their chores to watch him with dark eyes. Playing children kept away, and stared with wide eyes. Keeping his head bowed, Felix stroked Isatis' smooth neck, if only to comfort himself.

"Not used to strangers, I suppose," he murmured softly to the horse, her ears flickering towards him as he spoke. "And it's too hot here," he added, changing the subject. "I can't stand this heat…"

He'd talk about anything now, to get his mind away from Sheba.

Finally, they reached the entrance of the village. It was an average-sized archway, white like many of the houses to bear away the Sun's powerful rays. Already in the far distance, Felix could see the dark shadows of trees on the horizon. However, first he would have to get through the surrounding arid land, as there was no other option. That was the uncomfortable part…

* * *

Pulling the strap of the bag tight over her shoulder so it didn't fall all over the place, Sheba half-walked half-ran up the road. She didn't have time to check the Inn, to see if Felix had returned there first before he left. She didn't have much time at all, and still she wondered why she was doing this. She was going to miss Faran, but perhaps if she had stayed, she would have missed Felix even more.

She skidded to halt, looking around at her surroundings. Turning to a woman who was about to walk back into the shade of her house, Sheba quickly reached out and stopped her.

"What is it?" the woman asked huffily, rolling her eyes.

"I need to ask you -"

"I don't have time to answer questions from Faran's little orphan," she spat. "I have misbehaving children to watch!"

There was no point trying to explain herself, it would take too long. "Have you seen a young man? About eighteen, tall, long dark hair, probably with a -"

"He walked past here about ten, fifteen minutes ago," the woman interrupted. "Now let me get back to my business." Sticking her nose in the air, she stepped into her home and brusquely shut the door before Sheba could even finish her 'thank you'.

_Damn, _she thought, hurrying onwards again. _I left it too long to go after him… _Readjusting the heavy bag on her shoulder, she quickened her pace and sprinted up the road and out into the barren land. The oasis the village was built around was quickly left behind her, as she ran desperately over the hard, cracked ground, all the time, losing hope.

The trees loomed up ahead of her. Her knees ached, and her head was swimming. She could feel the heat rise in her face, and the back of her bare neck burning in the naked rays of the bright Sun.

Sheba's sprinting slowed to a struggled jog, and she gasped tiredly for air. Her side stitched, and every breath she took hurt painfully in her chest. She could not even think, only try with the little determination she had left to reach the forests; to try and find Felix despite the fact that she might never catch up with him, might never find him.

Suddenly words came to her mind, ringing through her head. _Get to the trees, _it said, urging her on. _It's not far now… Get to the trees… _Bending over, Sheba urged her fatigued body on, pushing it to its limits, hurting all over. _Do I want to find him this badly? _She asked herself. _Do I really want to go home?_

_Yes… You want to go _home.

Squeezing her eyes shut, then opening them wide and lifting her head to see where she was going, Sheba connected with a lost energy. "Come on!" she growled, gritting her teeth and leaping forward with new determination.

Heart thumping, her bag had fallen from her shoulder long ago. It hung from the crook in her arm, making her movement difficult. But Sheba did not have time to readjust it. By now, Felix could be riding away. She had to find him before hope was entirely lost.

The Sun was abruptly blotted out above her. Her vision went dark as she entered the forest, and for a while Sheba stumbled blindly, her eyesight lost. She could not even call out his name. She did not even have time to cry.

Her eyes slowly adjusted to the shadows of the trees. Sheba was no longer running, not even jogging. She tripped tiredly forwards, blinking quickly to try and clear her vision, her legs close to buckling beneath her. She knew in her heart, that she was going to collapse. She knew she was close to giving up.

Then, suddenly, through the knotted, broad treetops, the Sun burst through the leaves. Sheba shielded her eyes, and listened through her own heavy breathing to hear the birds singing all around her. She heard the unquestionable sound of horse's hooves ahead of her, and she heard them come to a halt.

Sheba paused in her own tracks, trying to make out what lay ahead of her while clutching her painful side.

"… Sheba?" she heard her name being said, and she knew she had finally found him.

Wheezing, she began to move forward, trying desperately to hurry her pace. "Felix," she managed to splutter, her eyes beginning to focus on him as he stood in bewilderment.

Seeing her condition, seeing her need, Felix dropped Isatis' reigns, and forgot his surprise. Stepping towards her, he reached out, just as she swayed on her feet and fell forwards into his arms. Pulling the heavy bag from her arm and throwing it aside, Felix brushed Sheba's fringe from her sweating, hot forehead to look into her dazed green eyes. "Usual dramatic entrance, I see," he joked, smiling at her for the first time in a long while.

Sheba tried to smile back, looking up at him. "I…" she tried to say between breaths. "I want to go home…"

Her vision clouded over.

* * *

**Next chapter: Chapter Nine: Reading Between The Lines**

**Lot's of drama and angst and angry/sad people in this chapter, if you hadn't noticed already. Poor Faran never got a goodbye from Felix...**

**You know what button to press - I like to know what people think. ; **

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	9. Reading Between The Lines

**I Came, I Saw, I Conquered  
_by Corycian Muse_**

**Wow, this chapter was quick, ne? I really hope I can be quicker with updating them, as I don't want it to be years before I finish it! (I have got most of the story planned out, and it will be around twenty chapters. Still not sure whether to have a happy or sad ending though...)  
I'm liking this chapter, and I'm going to enjoy writing the next (I hope), because Mia will be having plans of her own... ho ho...

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**Sakura Irving: Ah! I hope you enjoyed yourself! Thanks for the review, and I hope you like this chappy! **

**SpasticDjinn: Thanks for the review! And what a great score! (lol) Nice to know there are no Cons... Thanks again!**

**S.P.Q.T: It's good to know it is realistic - I really don't want it going off the hook (if you know what I mean). And yeah, Garet is a 'lighten-the-mood' kind of guy in this, isn't he? I think it needs it! Thanks for the review!  
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**ShadeXH: Wow, thanks for the lovely compliment, and don't give up hope on Feizhi! I have plans! Killing off Piers? Well, I hadn't thought about it, but like all your reviews, they give me ideas... Garet does like Jenna, I think. Whether it's in an 'I love you!' kind of way, or something else, I'm not sure. However, I think most of the pairings are going to stay true. I hope no one's going to run off with someone else... Thanks so much for the great review! **

**Master of Reality: Yeah, the review thing happens to me sometimes. Just bad luck, I guess (or is it something else..?) Anyway, thanks for the review! Isn't the good stuff great? I like it! Thanks again for your funny, and encouraging review. **

**moonjump05: Thanks for the review! I know, lighthouseshipping fics are pretty rare these days. Still, don't give up hope! Especially in this fic! Remember, I'm a proud lighthouseshipping fan! Still, in this story, it's never certain what's going to happen... O.o;**

**PyroDragon88: Yay! Go Piers/Mia! We'll always be fans... Don't know if Piers will die - it certainly won't be in the next few chapters if he is going to (it just feels cruel writing this!) Thanks for the review! **

**Meneil: Yeah, I'm pleased with all the Felix/Sheba-ness in the last chapter. It went well, methinks! Anyhoo, thanks for the review!

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**Please Read, Review, and Enjoy! ... ...

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**Chapter Nine: Reading Between The Lines**

Jenna could not help herself. She laughed out of shock, and Alex watched, waiting until her cold mirth died away.

"I cannot believe this!" She exclaimed, clutching the side of the ship, the rising Sun glaring in her face. "I always knew you were a weakling for power, but to find you doing something as snidy as this is a surprise." Pausing a moment, Jenna leaned forward, glaring at him furiously. "So… what's your plan then? How am I involved?"

Alex tutted sarcastically, shaking his head. "My, my," he drawled. "You haven't even greeted me yet! I'm rather insulted."

"Well, I'm glad," Jenna answered sourly. "Now, how about answering my question? Or would you rather turn the ship around and take me back?"

"I'm afraid I'll be doing neither of those momentarily," Alex said, folding his arms lazily. "I do have plans. However, your involvement in them isn't exactly at the top of my list for importance."

"I'm flattered," Jenna growled. "So, how are things?" she asked while lowering her vision for a second to take a sneaky glance at the dagger hanging from Alex's hip. "I mean, you left pretty suddenly after the incident on the cliff, leaving Mia with a petty note. Now I'm here with nothing better to do, why don't you explain yourself?"

"And what makes you think _I_ don't have better things to do?" Alex questioned, smiling charmingly.

"Because you appeared next to me moments ago," Jenna scowled.

"Ah, how perceptive of you," he answered knowingly. "Very clever."

"Why, were you expecting any less of me? Is that what you're saying?" Jenna asked, bristling. Alex immediately unfolded his arms, putting his hands up in a placating manner.

"I _am _sorry," he began, "if I upset you." Jenna found it very hard to believe this. "Why don't we forget this little dispute, yes?" Alex continued. "I merely saw you up on deck, and, realising you had been allowed a little freedom on board, decided to see how you were! There, is that so bad?"

"No, but it's hardly true either," Jenna answered, not falling for his manipulative words one bit. She remained, standing slightly defensively before him, never taking her eyes from his. "However," she said slowly. "I'm not too bad, thanks for asking."

"Oh, but I didn't," Alex answered, still with a smile playing on his lips. Jenna glared at him furiously, unable to find words to answer with. Alex turned slightly, averting his gaze to the ship they were on. "I'm sorry to break you away from Isaac," he said in a soft, calm voice. He didn't sound guilty at all.

Jenna huffed. "It's not like it matters anyway. He isn't important anymore."

"Really?" Alex asked, suddenly interested. "And why is that? The last I saw of you two, you were infatuated with each other. What's happened now to make it change?"

Jenna stared intently at the distant waves, lolling lazily, gleaming in the sun. Suddenly, she frowned, looking at the tall man. "Why should I tell you? It's none of your business!" she said touchily, and to her annoyance, Alex smiled.

"Okay then," he answered simply, looking out onto the horizon.

Their restrained silence was broken when a Proxian hurried towards them from the main deck. "Alex," he began, coming to a halt before them and turning to the young man. "Saturos sends word that we'll be reaching the island soon. He wants you to be up front with him."

"Tell him I'll be there in a minute," Alex answered in a drawling, lazy voice. The Proxian nodded, and left, and Jenna laid suspicious eyes on the traitor.

"So you're taking me to an island?" she asked. Before he could say anything, she continued. "So then… how is an island relevant to me being kidnapped?" she mused.

"Are you going to try and work this out?" Alex asked, amused.

"Well you're no help at all!" Jenna spat, turning on him. "The day that I manage to wheedle something out of you is the day that I find this is all a dream!"

"Which will never happen," Alex said pointedly.

"Exactly," Jenna breathed, feeling the anger boil inside her.

"So why don't you just ask me?"

"I already _had_!"

"No… not about the island."

Jenna felt like screaming in frustration. "God dammit! Tell me about the island then!" she yelled, and for a fleeting moment, Alex glanced warily down the deck to where Saturos stood at the prow. "Oh I'm sorry," Jenna said sarcastically. "Was that a bit too loud? Are there some things you don't want others to know?"

"Partially," Alex answered. He looked back to Jenna, still burning with indignation and fury, and gave her his full attention. "Would you like me to tell you everything, Jenna?"

She was taken aback at his unsuspected words. He could be so complex, so hard to read. It only made him more infuriating. "Do what you want, Alex. You always do," she said darkly, trying to maintain her stubbornness and dignity.

"Then I won't tell you," he answered, smirking. "Because it's not what I want, is it?" He gave her a hard stare, making his point clear. He turned, hiding the forming smile on his lips. "If you'll excuse me now, I've said my greetings, but I must be leaving to help in navigation, odd sorts…"

"_Wait_!"

"Oh," Alex said smugly, turning to face Jenna again. "So you've changed your mind – you do want to know now, am I correct?" Jenna gave him a furious glare.

"Tell me," she said in a hushed voice holding countless emotions. "Tell me," she whispered.

For a time that seemed endless, Alex watched her, and Jenna looked back with wide eyes and furrowed eyebrows. The wind whistled through the high sails and over the ocean, and the Sun drifted in the sky, a golden orb rolling on the horizon.

And then, all of a sudden, Alex was looming over Jenna before she even saw it happen. He was facing away from the Sun; he was a black shadow before her, his hair whipping over his shoulders in flowing streams and his face held in darkness.

Auras moulded. Jenna's heart thumped crazily in her chest.

Alex turned his head slightly, and the Sun caught the outline of his brow, his jaw, the curve of his nose. She could not see his expression, because he did not have one. His gleaming eye was empty and endless. It frightened her, because in that icy gaze, there was nothing.

"You people of the village live in ignorance," he murmured, staring back down at her, causing her heart to jolt and her breath to catch in her throat. "Your land doesn't even have a name, according to you," he carried on. "But it does – it always has. It is written in the books, countless centuries old. _The Land of the Shadows, _they called it, _Terra Umbrarum. _And do you know why?" Then Alex's own face was lost in an encompassing shadow, as he leaned closer, maliciousness gleaming in his eyes. "Because it had the power to _encompass. _It had the power to destroy."

Jenna stared at him, horrified. "You're insane," she managed to whisper, urging herself to take a step back. Her body wouldn't move. Alex's eyes were still latched on her. He almost laughed.

"No…" he murmured. "No one is insane until they have no reason left. I have reason, Jenna. I have it. Like you have reason to hate Isaac, because he _betrayed _you."

She froze. Her fear dissipated. Her realisation grew, and she frowned. "How do you know that?" she murmured, staring at him.

This time Alex did laugh, a cold mirthless laugh that meant nothing. He knew she was beginning to realize the truth of it all. "Jenna," he said, suddenly serious, almost mockingly. "You can be so dense." He smirked. "The girl on the beach… you've never seen her before in your entire life! You were completely blinded by your own uncertainty and love that all you saw was what was before you. You fool."

Jenna stared at him, mortified at her own stupidity, swallowed by humiliation, by the fact that she had fallen into his trap. Alex saw it in her eyes, read it on her face. But as he watched her, he saw a new emotion rise up and swell, one that was inevitable. Her eyes narrowed, and she sucked in breath.

"You _bastard_," she said in a deadly cold voice.

Alex said nothing in reply, now frowning slightly, his eyes fixed on hers.

"You bastard!" Jenna suddenly screamed, lurching forwards and ramming herself into him, catching him by surprise and winding him. As he fell back, Jenna caught the dagger from his belt and slipped it smoothly from the small sheath. Snarling, she leapt forwards in her blind fury.

Alex winced slightly, clutching his side. Furious, he focused his eyes, and tried to get steadily to his feet.

Only to feel a cold tip of a blade pressed threateningly into his neck.

* * *

"It's amazing!" Isaac yelled to Piers above the roaring din of the crashing waves. "I mean, I haven't been on a boat since I was around six, but a ship like this is something else. And it goes so fast! How do you do it?"

Piers laughed, happy to be back on the ocean again. His long bandana whipped around him as he wrapped the rope more securely round his arm. "With a little extra help," he answered, winking back at Isaac. "I may show you one day."

Isaac smiled, and looked back at the waves as they were forced aside by the magnificent ship's prow, salty foam and droplets soaring up and splattering the deck. The high sails were thrust forward as they caught the wind, moving the vessel onwards to their destination.

"I know these seas," Piers continued in a loud voice. "It was near-on this course that I came when I first arrived here. There are scattered islands further out!"

"There are?" Isaac asked, surprised. Piers nodded in answer. "Well, there are things that I don't even know about." He looked thoughtfully out to sea. "I wonder if Ivan even knows of these distant, hidden places." Brushing his hair out from his eyes, Isaac turned and looked back at Piers who was keeping a watch on the sail's rigging, the course, the direction of the wind. "How long will it be until we catch up with them?" He asked the Lemurian.

Piers turned his blue-green eyes upon his friend, and smiled. "If I've calculated correctly," he said with an emerging grin. "I'd say we will reach the Proxians by midday."

* * *

Seething, Alex kept his head still, only just able to keep his body under control. He could already feel the coldness of the blade die away as the warmth from his own pulse drummed in his neck. He was angry because of her insolence, and insulted because she was naïve and knew nothing, and yet here she was standing over _him _with his life in _her _hands.

"It is obvious there is no good in you, Alex," Jenna said, voice shaking. She placed a little more pressure to the nip of the dagger as she spoke. "You've betrayed us. You betrayed Mia." Gulping inaudibly, she carried on. "Give me one reason why I shouldn't kill you now."

Alex gritted his teeth, infuriated and annoyed. Did he even have to say it when they were both well aware? "Because, Jenna," he snarled. "It's not in you to kill me."

Jenna gulped again, but she remained, holding the dagger firmly. Why should she kill him anyway? No one deserved to die, whatever it was they had done.

Suddenly, glittering eyes flashed up at her through cerulean strands of hair, bitter and angry, and the air shifted around her threateningly.

Before Jenna could think, she had drawn back slightly, giving opportunity that was immediately taken. With one lithe, graceful movement Alex was on his feet. "Second mistake," he hissed, snarling at her, swiping the dagger from her loosened grip. Jenna fell back with a yell, and collided squarely with the mast. Staggering forwards, she cringed at the dull, aching pain between her shoulder blades, slightly dazed, and blinded momentarily by the Sun.

"Next time keep your voice low, or your words will be heard," Alex's voice came from her left. She heard him slide the blade back into its sheath, and then, the noise of footfalls on the deck, running, getting closer. "And next time, keep the blade where it is, or you may find yourself in danger."

Abruptly, Jenna's arms were grabbed from behind, holding her in a lock. "You shouldn't be out here," a new voice spoke over her shoulder. "Get her back inside!"

There were other movements around her, other people. She found herself being dragged back, and immediately tried to brush the arms off her. "I can walk on my own," she said indignantly, her eyes deciphering their shadows, the red glimmers of their crimson eyes.

To her surprise, a heavy hand landed on her shoulder, and held her firm. Something told her to stop her struggling. Something told her this person was different from the rest. Blinking away the sunspots, she looked up to her right to see the tall Proxian standing close to her, almost threateningly. He did not even glance at her.

"We'll be arriving at the island at any moment. Now isn't the time to be playing with the captives, Alex," he said gruffly, still with a firm hold on Jenna's shoulder – one that was becoming increasingly uncomfortable for her.

"_Playing _isn't exactly the word I would use to describe it, Saturos," Alex answered sourly, not in the best of moods. "I'll be at the helm shortly with the reference. On another point," he continued, "We may be staying on the island a little longer than first expected, so be ready to set up camp."

Saturos snarled in answer "I wouldn't get so cocky if I were you," he said, his voice barely above a whisper. "You are not the captain of this fleet, and ordering does not suit you at all. Learn your place."

"I was not aware that I _was _ordering, _Captain,_" Alex spoke, not taking his piercing eyes from the fierce red ones of Saturos. They remained, in a locked gaze with one another, a fight for dominance.

"Remember this, Alex," Saturos finally said in a harsh tone. "We have you because we need that underlying power as much as you want the Terra Umbrarum. That may put us on equal terms, but this is _my _ship, and you are under _my _watch."

"And you will need myhelp," Alex retorted, unfazed by Saturos' warning tone.

Jenna could sense the fury of the tall man next to her. It was the first time in a long time for her to feel fear. His presence frightened her more so than Alex's, but there was something else there that her village's traitor lacked.

The firm hand was still pressed on her shoulder. Jenna was tall in female equivalents, carrying the same trait as her brother, but Saturos loomed behind her, standing high against Alex, against the rest of the Proxians that were now waiting a few feet away, patient for orders. He was lean also, and well muscled, making him the perfect illustration of someone who could kill. Perhaps maybe, he was someone who already had.

Jenna shook her head slightly, as if to try and brush away the fuzzy thoughts in her head. Suddenly feeling slightly subdued, she felt a slight rush of confusion run through her, taken aback at the suddenness of everything, and at how time seemed to fly past, leaving her behind.

Before Jenna knew what was happening, that same strong hold on her had turned her around, and she found she was being pushed away from Alex, across the deck.

"Hold on tight," Saturos growled behind her, forcing her away from him towards some taught mast ropes, and a latched grapple hook. However indignant she felt, Jenna did as he said, and grabbed for the roping just in time to look ahead of the ship and see trees looming towards them.

Bracing herself, she knew what would be happening next.

The prow of the ship connected with the coarse sand, just beneath the surface of the lapping sea. It grated forcefully into the beach, pressing onwards as friction slowed it. The vessel trembled under the might of the power and the waves crashed outwards.

Losing its thrust, the ship began to slow until, with one final lurch it came to a halt, beached and sturdy and remaining unharmed. Slowly, Jenna took her arms away from the ropes to find her skin sore and burnt from where she had held on tightly, thrust about by the reeling ship.

"Take supplies on shore," Saturos was already yelling out orders in his bass voice. "And take only what you need!"

* * *

"If Alex _is _behind this, which he most certainly is…" Isaac trailed off, not sure what he was trying to say. However, the more he thought about it, the angrier he became. "And if he planned that scene on the beach… well…" he stumbled in his words again, and Piers watched him with slight sympathy.

"Isaac," he said his name, and Isaac looked up to meet Piers' gaze. "Don't dither around in the past. Yes, it was most certainly Alex that betrayed us, and I would not be surprised if he's working in one way or another with the Proxians. However," he said after a pause, and smiled, raising his eyebrows. "We'll be arriving very soon."

"We will?" Isaac asked, frowning. "But won't they see us? How are you planning to do this?"

"We're taking a longer route," Piers answered, looking back to the prow of the ship. "There's a wide bay to the south side of most of the islands, because of the current of the ocean. I'm going to take a guess that it will be that side their beaching themselves to go onshore." He turned the helm slightly. "If we travel north, then we can dock opposite to the Proxians below the cliffs, unseen."

Isaac shook his head slowly, grinning. "Your knowledge of oceans marvels me," he said, chuckling slightly, "Even oceans that you have hardly come to know."

Piers gave him a sideways grin. "We'll find Jenna in no time," he answered, and suddenly thought of Mia.

Suddenly, soberness flowed over him, and he watched the horizon stonily. Isaac thought it was okay; he thought it was simple, but it wasn't. Piers wasn't prepared to explain it to him yet – it would be better to take one thing at a time, so for now, it was best to concentrate on getting Jenna back.

However, the question couldn't not stop spinning through his mind: why had they taken her in the first place? What was her significance? _Perhaps_, Piers thought, _it is to do with something closer to the village… This is why I need Mia there. Mia's strong; she can cope. _He bit his lip, worried for her. Who could know what was going to happen, when the enemy was something so much more than a suffering northern clan?

"It may be only another hour before we arrive," he said over his shoulder to Isaac who was loosening one of the mast ropes. "We may be back in the village by tomorrow." Why was he saying this? He mentally cursed himself.

Isaac nodded, hope bubbling from deep within him. He loved Jenna; he knew it. It was time for her to realise how far he would go for her…

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

The Sun rose gently, climbing through the clouds, through the azure sky, rolling through the air as it glared down upon the ocean's roiling waves, while they crashed into the cliff's bases.

Piers tied the rope strongly, pulling hard. The currents were strong, and he didn't want the ship getting damaged. Not if they were going to be returning safely. "What do you see!" he called up to Isaac, who had climbed up the cliffs along a small goat path, and was now standing above him, high up, looking inland on the island.

He turned, and sat on his haunches, looking down at Piers while covering his eyes with a hand. "How did you know it was this island they were on?" he yelled down, his voice being carried by the wind.

Piers smiled, and ran a hand along his jaw line before rubbing his chin thoughtfully. "I have my ways. I'll show you one day," he simply answered. Isaac looked slightly annoyed.

"That's what you told me last time," he called down indignantly. "When are you going to let open on some of your secrets!"

Piers laughed, but did not answer. "I think I'm done down here," he yelled up to his friend, cupping his mouth with one hand. "We'll have to take as little as possible, and try and find a place where we can make as our base until we get Jenna back."

Isaac nodded, and started to make his way back down to the ship, in order for him to help Piers take what possessions they decided upon onshore.

"We've still got half a day ahead of us," Piers began, as they stepped back up onto the rocky cliff path to make the tedious climb up. "If we want to make this successful without getting anyone hurt, it would be best for us to learn the terrain a little better first, find easy places to run to if we're seen, escape routes and so on."

"I see," Isaac answered behind him, slightly bewildered by the sudden sincerity, not least the efficiency Piers was describing. It had never occurred to him about the planning beforehand. He had never got round to thinking about that side of the whole situation.

"I think the best time to get in there and find Jenna would be tonight when we've got the cover of the darkness. The only bad side to this is that the Proxians may be more on guard for attacks. Though," he added thoughtfully, "They don't actually know we're here…"

"Uh huh," Isaac answered, furrowing his eyebrows.

Finally, exhausted, they reached the cliff tops. Isaac dropped his packs to the ground, and fell next to them, breathing heavily. "That's the second time I've hand to climb up here," he said, exasperated, and yet, amused.

Piers wasn't looking at him. He stood, transfixed, staring inland, to the other side of the island. The wide expanse of sun-scorched scrubland, dusty and salty and running from the sea, was covered with quickly up-righted tents, small campfires scattered between them, and the movement of a small battalion of Proxians. Some ships swayed out at sea, while a few others were drawn up on the beach, arched and proud, with bright drawn up sails lined above them.

"That's a few more than I expected," Piers said quietly. "It's going to be hard locating Jenna."

"We'll do it somehow," Isaac answered, optimistic. "I have faith in us." Slowly, he got to his feet and brushed himself down. "After all," he continued, and Piers turned to catch his gaze. "Who knows what can happen between now and when we act tonight?"

Piers raised an eyebrow, before smiling.

* * *

**End Chapter Nine.**

**Next chapter: Chapter Ten: Disturbed**


	10. Disturbed

**I Came, I Saw, I Conquered  
_by Corycian Muse_**

**Wow, this chapter is a little longer than usual (10 pages), and it didn't take me too long to write it either.  
This chapter has some reference to earlier chapters, like Chapter Three and Chapter Five, so I just hope you can remember back to those parts (Chapt. Three especially). Anyhow, some parts of this chapter I like, other parts I'm not so happy about. I just think it takes too long to get about things in the story.  
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**Felix/Sheba? I think maybe. Sheba/Felix/Feizhi? Oh yes. Is Felix aware of it? Of course not! Oh, and another point on the pairings, I don't normally like to give away hints for the future, but there will be flashbacks/memories of things we haven't seen between Piers and Mia, to keep their relationship going while they're separated (until they finally meet of course! Or will they...?) Jenna and Isaac? I'm not planning on saying anything about that just yet. Wait and see.**

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** Sakura Irving: Thank you, and I hope you didn't hurt yourself there, because otherwise you wouldn't be able to read this chapter! Thanks for the review!**

**ShadeXH: Yep, it's what makes Alex such an interesting character, and one of my favourites. And anyway! Bad guys are cool, aren't they? Well, they can be, though sometimes you do... get the odd one... who can be a bit... strange - or just plain unlikeable. O.O; Okay, I've lost track now... Oh yeah, the dagger! And again you pin-point it down! (ahem). As for the reviews, I love reading them, especially when you get nice reviewers (), and I love answering them just as much! So thank YOU, for reviewing! And yeah, thanks for this review! **

**S.P.Q.T: This applies to people who watch Naruto: Itachi is NOT cool. Thank you very much. Thanks! And I agree about the humour thing - I'm not actually sure if there is very much in this chapter (oh dear), so I hope you still enjoy it. Thanks for reviewing!**

**Meneil: I agree! And we all know Jenna wouldn't ever be a weak, feeble, calm, scared? person around anyone, let alone Alex. She'll do things _her _way! Yep, Piers is very knowledgeable in many things, as I'm sure we'll come to understand even more next chapter. There will also be more Saturos (yay!). Thanks for the review!**

**SpasticDjinn: O.O; I'm updating! I'm not sure if it's two days (looks at calandar) - nope, sorry about that part... but still! I updated! Thanks for reviewing!**

**Master of Reality: Aaaw, I'm sure the computer doesn't hate you that much. Well, I hope not. It's not a very nice computer if it does. Truthfully, the praise get's me embarrassed (though I don't mind it, really) . However, I do like your very big 'Great!' It looked very nice! As for the bloodlust? Well, it's funny, and that's for sure... I'm still wondering if it's good or bad... A lot of people want to know Piers' secrets, including me, so we'll have to wait and find out. Thanks for the review!

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**Please Read, Review, and Enjoy! ... ... ... ... ...

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**Chapter Ten : Disturbed**

_For the mind disturbed, the still  
Beauty of dawn  
Is nature's finest balm  
_

"Felix?"

"… Sheba. Are you feeling better?"

"I suppose, yes."

"I… I would say we're on time." Felix stopped for a moment. It was tiring, just talking. He closed his eyes, resting them, while allowing Isatis to go freely without him holding on the reigns.

"It's night time, isn't it?" Sheba spoke up quietly in front of him.

"Yes…" he opened his eyes again, feeling the soreness. "It's good to see you awake."

"Well, I wasn't sure I was at first," Sheba answered, laughing slightly, almost nervous. "When I woke up, and everything was black, I wondered what had come over me."

Felix said nothing, and a gentle silence fell over them.

"You haven't eaten in a while, or stretched your legs," he said after the long pause. Sheba glanced back at him over her shoulder, to show she was listening. "Why don't we stop for a moment?"

"Okay then," she answered, rolling her shoulders. It was true, she felt stiff. She must have been lying on Isatis' back ever since she fainted, and that would have been at least nine hours ago… She sighed.

Isatis came to a calm stop, and Felix slid slowly from her back, without thinking. Sheba watched him quizzically, touched with amusement. He didn't even notice the slight grin spreading across her face, when he turned back to her to help her from the horse.

"I'll help you," Sheba murmured once Felix began to take off the sacks from Isatis' back. She pushed him slightly aside, to reach for the baggage strapped to the horse.

Felix dropped back. "Are you sure? You're body is probably quite weak at the mo -"

"Yes, I am sure," Sheba cut in, pulling a face at him as she hefted the bags off. She didn't have a clue which one had the food in, but it didn't matter. She'd find out soon enough. She glanced back at Felix as she threw the baggage onto the ground, and raised a blonde eyebrow, seeing his head nodding slowly while he blinked with a sluggish determination to keep awake.

Turning, she placed her hands upon her hips, smiling lopsidedly. It took a moment for Felix to realise she had finished unpacking, before he glanced up at her with a questioning look. "Let me guess," Sheba started sardonically. "We've been travelling since – what would it be… yesterday morning? And you haven't stopped once for some rest. Tell me," She continued, the tone of her voice suddenly changing as she leaned towards him. "How long has it been since you last slept?"

Felix watched her with dull, clouded eyes. He frowned. "It's not important," he said at last, leaning over to pick up one of the leather sacks. "We're going to have to continue if we're to reach the village after sunrise."

"Why? Why do we have to get there so quickly? What's the rush?" Sheba interrogated, but all she got in return was a slow shrug.

"Like I said, it's not important." Felix looked at her wearily. "Try and get some of your energy back. We can rest when we get home."

Sheba laughed lightly, and then suddenly scowled. "You didn't hear a word I said, did you?"

He blinked.

"I asked you – oh," she gave up, exasperated. "I can't be bothered to repeat myself. You can be so difficult…"

Felix was frowning. It appeared he didn't have a clue what she was talking about. When Sheba chose to ignore this, and took the bag from his hand to get something to eat, he let her, and sat down in the soft grass of the forest glade, before slowly letting himself lay back on the ground, folding his arms behind his head.

Sheba sat down heavily next to him, taking a bite from a small, dry loaf of bread before taking a long drink from a flask. Isatis grazed contentedly, not far from them, and a comfortable silence fell upon them.

After a long time, Sheba took in a deep breath, and looked sideways at Felix. "What do you think has been happening… back in the village?" she asked in a quiet voice.

Taking a moment before he spoke, Felix answered, "Who can know?" He paused. "However, I hope Jenna's all right."

"Do I…" Sheba began tentatively. "Do I sense something happened before you left to come and find me?"

This time Felix looked at her, and gave her a weak, but true smile. "Jenna can get emotional," he began. "And I think I hurt her feelings in one way or another. I didn't really have enough time before I left the village to make it up to her properly."

"Oh," Sheba answered. She glanced up at the inky-blue sky, dusted with stars. "Well, at least that answers my earlier question," she mumbled.

"What do you mean by that?"

Oh, so he heard _this_ time. "Why you want to get back to the village so quickly," Sheba explained. Felix raised an eyebrow.

"Well…" he said at last, unfolding his arms and pushing himself up. "I guess we should be starting off again." He tiredly picked up the flask Sheba had had earlier, and drank from it, before packing it away in the sack.

Sheba jumped to her feet. "We're going already?" she asked, slightly bewildered. Then she glared at him. "If you fall asleep on the way back, I'm accepting no responsibility when I return back to the village, without you."

Felix grimaced. "That's not going to happen," he answered, turning away from her and fixing the baggage back onto Isatis. "So…" he said, holding onto the horse's bridle. "Are we going then?"

"Well it seems I have no choice in it anyway," Sheba grumbled, moving forward and letting Felix help her onto Isatis' back. He wearily, but surely got up behind her, and took up the reigns. "I feel sorry for the horse as well," she continued, throwing a teasing glare over her shoulder.

Felix shrugged that same nonchalant shrug of his. "Isatis needs the exercise," he reasoned, pulling a face.

Before Sheba could reply (seeing as she was raring for an argument), Felix had kicked into the horse's sides, and Isatis was off, leaping over fallen branches, surefooted in the darkness.

After all, the village was calling to them…

* * *

Garet glanced warily at Mia. The silence was awkward; the waiting was awkward, and he was getting impatient. He started tapping his fingers on the table.

He could almost feel the time moving around him, leaving him behind. It was driving him crazy. Something had to happen… Something…

"Mia…" Garet suddenly spoke, shattering the silence into a thousand pieces. She blinked rapidly, taking in a quick breath before looking at him questioningly.

"Yes?" she asked, sounding slightly distracted.

"We've been sitting here for a long time, and you haven't said anything. Morning is slowly turning into midday!" Garet sounded just slightly hysterical, and Mia couldn't help laughing.

"Sorry, she breathed out, smiling. "I've been deep in thought."

About what! Can't you tell them to me? I am here to keep you company, after all."

"And thank you for your consideration," Mia quickly answered. She reached up and brushed a falling lock of hair from her eyes, before carrying on. "I've been thinking… upon something quite serious." She pursed her lips. "To do with Alex."

"What to do with that bastard?" Garet asked eagerly. His face quickly fell from the look Mia gave him.

"It's something I can't really explain," she answered, suddenly sincere. How could she illustrate the fact to Garet, that she knew something which could possibly have the potential to solve all the confusion that could not be explained? It was not possible; it was too complicated. "I'm sorry," she finished, feeling overwhelmed by her own thoughts.

Garet didn't ask anymore. Somehow, he understood vaguely. If Mia couldn't tell him, she wasn't going to lie about it. "I wonder how Isaac and Piers are?" he wondered aloud, changing the subject. "It was around this time yesterday that they left."

"Yes," Mia answered, her voice sounding strange. "They'll be fine," she continued, looking Garet in the eye. "I'm sure of it."

Garet grinned. "So do I," he said.

Slowly, Mia's thoughts returned to the subject of Alex, and to how she was going to break it to the others that she would be travelling north, back to where she once lived. It would be the only way to discover Alex's true intentions, and Mia believed with all her heart in Piers' words. She believed that something deeper, more sinister was at hand…

Through the open doorway, a calm breeze entered. It carried the smell of the sea upon it, and it was refreshing as ever. Slowly, something else, faint at first, entered the building as it was carried upon the gentle winds. It caught Mia's attention, and she sat up, alert.

"Is that Feizhi?" she asked, listening for the voice. Garet too, glanced sideways towards the door.

"Where did you go then?" Someone was saying outside, as they got closer. "And who is that?"

"It _is_ Feizhi," Mia said pointedly.

"So what?" Garet asked, slightly baffled. "She's been hanging around here since Jenna was taken. It's not like she's anything new… hey… where are you going?"

Mia stopped at the door, looking back quickly. "She's with someone, obviously," she answered, vaguely exasperated. And with that, she left, disappearing from Garet's sight.

Garet groaned, and got to his feet to follow her.

Stepping out into the bright sunshine, everything went white for a moment. There were noises to his right, and his eyes adjusted quickly. What he saw, was a surprise, to say the least.

To find Sheba and Felix back from their unknown expedition was unexpected, and Garet walked towards them with enthusiasm.

Then he remembered Jenna.

"Sheba!" Mia was saying. "Where have you been? We had no idea where you'd gone. And when Felix suddenly disappeared without a word as well – we only hoped he'd gone after you."

"I went… to visit my father," Sheba explained. "I needed some time to think."

"Of course," Mia answered. Garet came to a stop next to her, and was not surprised at all when Mia shot him a warning glance. Obviously he was not to say anything on the matter they were both secretly dreading…

"How are you both?" Garet asked, unnaturally subdued. As he spoke, he stepped forward and took their baggage down from the horse with his strong arms, avoiding their gaze. "You look worn out."

"I'm doing okay, but I'm not sure about Felix," Sheba said, while casting a sideways glance at him. Felix dragged his eyes to catch her gaze as she said his name. "I don't think he's had a rest for over two days," she carried on, giving him a slight glare. "He's just been continually trying to fight time – to get me, and then race back here as quick as possible. He's really worn himself out!"

"Don't… talk like that…" Felix breathed, resting his weight against Isatis' neck.

Sheba made a distinct annoyed sound. "Just go to bed, you idiot," she spoke.

He didn't move.

"Felix," Mia began softly, and Felix looked up at her, his face drawn and fatigued. "Go and rest, if only for a while. It will do you good."

"You did say you would, remember?" Sheba added.

Felix frowned, as if he were annoyed by the fact that he was being told what to do. He was going to go to do as they said anyway – why couldn't they leave him alone? "I'm _going,_" he slurred, stepping away from them, looking at the ground. "I'm going…"

They watched in silence, adding slightly to Felix's annoyance, and his displeasure of being their attention. Suddenly Feizhi stepped forward, grabbing some of the bags from Garet's hands. "I'll go too," she said in her edged voice, looking back at Mia.

Before anyone could say anything in return, she was after him, easily catching up to his slow pace. Sheba watched, slightly open-mouthed, unsure what to think. Felix didn't even look back at her. It was as if she no longer existed.

Suddenly, she snapped out of her reverie, and mentally slapped herself. _'He's tired,' _she assured herself. _'And I've never seen that girl before in my life, so she's not important either…' _ Why was she so bothered about it? Sheba followed the stranger with assessing eyes, curious. "Who is she?" she asked.

Mia sighed. "Feizhi," she answered, sounding so utterly serious, and emotional, that Sheba's attention was brought straight to her. "I'm afraid that a lot has happened Sheba, while you have been away." She paused, and Sheba felt a sudden unnerving sensation of dread. Mia continued. "And I do not look forward to when Felix has to be told."

And before anything else was to happen, Mia told the younger girl of everything that had taken place.

* * *

"Lay down, and I'll put your things away," Feizhi said, taking the bags through the door into the main room. She came back a moment later to find Felix watching her drowsily from where he sat on the bed. She leaned back against the doorframe, and folded her arms. "Is there a problem?"

"I don't… remember you being like this…" he answered blankly.

"Yes, well," Feizhi started. "You are tired, and people change anyway." She gave a fake laugh. "This village is almost becoming my home."

Felix scowled. "I'm sorry if -"

"- Oh, don't be sorry!" Feizhi cut in. "Now get some sleep, and you'll feel much better – trust me, okay?" She paused for a moment, waiting.

Nothing happened.

Sighing, she walked purposefully forward, and sat down gracefully next to Felix, the lilac locks of her fringe falling perfectly around her porcelain face. "Do you want me to stay?" she asked. "Is that what it is?"

If Felix had been feeling like his usual self, there was no doubt he would be staring at her in horror right then. However, exhausted that he was, he merely frowned slightly. "No – it's fine," he answered. "Please… just leave…"

Feizhi smiled. "That's fine," she breathed, slowly moving away from him, and stopping on the other side of the doorframe. "I'll see you later, then," she said finally. One hand on the handle, she carefully pulled it towards her while never taking her violet eyes from him.

The door shut with a firm click.

For a while, Felix remained where he sat, his mind dark and empty, but slowly he let himself fall back onto the bed. His eyes closed gently, and his mind was blissfully unaware of anything that had just happened.

On the other side of the door, Feizhi rummaged through the bags for an object she didn't yet realise Alex already had…

* * *

Dusk was settling in upon the ocean and the islands, and it brought with it the inevitable feeling of ease. The only sounds to break through the gentle calmness were the faint sounds of the Proxians in the distance, on the other side of the rugged island.

Isaac however, sat with the ever-growing sensation of impatience. His eyes kept roaming over the terrain, looking towards the opposing encampment, wondering if he'd see the flash of auburn hair in the dying sunlight between the large tents; as his gaze drew closer, hoping to see Piers' aquamarine hair like flowing water down his back, hoping he would be returning soon with news.

He sat on the hard, sun-beat ground, twiddling a leaf between his adept fingers absent-mindedly, staring over the horizon. His thoughts travelled on the wind, and his eyes were blank and as blue as the sky.

"I've found a couple of things out," a voice spoke out of the darkness, right behind him. Isaac started, and turned to look at Piers with wide eyes.

"Please don't surprise me like that!" he exclaimed, more thankful that Piers had arrived than anything. He paused. "So…" he started. "What have you discovered?"

"Oh, nothing too amazing," Piers answered with a smile, leaning back on his haunches. "Some easier spots to enter the camp, places to run to if we're in danger – that sort of thing. We'll just have to remember to stick together tonight, because so far, I'm the only one who knows these places."

Isaac raised an eyebrow. "How convenient," he said, causing Piers' smile to broaden.

"And another thing," he continued, watching Isaac closely. "I think I may know why they're here."

"… What did you find?"

Piers' golden eyes glittered. "Inscribed buildings."

* * *

Felix lay in silence, breathing lightly. He stared up at the ceiling and wondered with increasing perplexity why he felt so confused, and more importantly, so suspicious. It had been like this now for at least an hour, though it felt a lot longer, and it did not take long before his attention was brought to the afternoon Sun, slowly falling through the sky outside his window. _The same window Sheba had climbed through, the last day before she left. _

Felix blinked, and took in a deep breath. It was so quiet outside.

And all the while he had been awake, he had not heard any noises in the house. It was an unnerving feeling, knowing that something was wrong. So why was he just lying here, doing nothing?

Slowly, Felix sat up, and stayed sitting for a moment to collect his thoughts. Yawning slightly, he got to his feet and ran a hand through his hair, pushing his bangs out of his face, before pulling the bedroom door open, and finding the leather bags left neatly against the wall.

Pausing, he ran his eyes over the baggage. Things like food had been taken out, and when he looked up, he saw it had been left by the fire, wrapped up. Water too, had been put with the rest of the supplies. His sword leaned next to the bags, and it remained there, untouched, as Felix continued past, and walked outside.

Not to his surprise, the first person he saw was Sheba, and he quietly made his way over to where she sat on a grassy slope.

She looked up, and smiled weakly. "Hi… how are you? Are you okay?" she asked.

"Yes," Felix lied, sitting down next to her and leaning back upon his palms. "What time is it?"

"Late afternoon," she answered, and started to fidget with the hem of her dress. She knew all too well what was going to happen; she knew he was bound to ask any second, and as if by some unknown doing, he got straight to the point that she was now dreading.

"It's so quiet," Felix murmured, staring up at the clear sky. "I'm not even sure what day it is."

Sheba forced out a laugh. "Well, it's market day, isn't it?" she explained. "Everyone's out inland, into town, and Mia said your parents had gone away for a while, further down the coast to spread their blacksmith business…"

"I see," Felix was squinting in the sunlight – or was it that he had narrowed his eyes? Sheba pursed her lips. "Where's Jenna?" he asked, and her heart fell like a stone into water, rippling the surface. "I haven't seen her."

No words came to Sheba, and she opened her mouth, breathing out only air. Felix glanced at her quizzically, waiting.

"She's gone, Felix."

Both he and Sheba averted their gaze to see Mia, stopping next to him. She walked around, and sat down on the bright grass. Her eyes were pleading and sincere, and her tone was forceful.

"What do you mean she's gone?" Felix asked, frowning deeply.

"Felix," Mia started. Suddenly, she paused, and turned to Sheba. "It's up to me to say this," she told her. "It's because of Alex this happened, and he is my duty -"

"- What are you talking about?" Felix intervened, now highly suspicious, and, to his astonishment, sensing a rise of panic.

"You need to stay calm first, and take things slowly," Mia answered while holding up a placating hand. She started to talk, but found the words catching in her throat. A silence fell upon them, and Felix's eyes bore into Mia's. "There is no other way, to say this… but you have to be told…" she managed to say, looking at him sternly. "Jenna's been taken, Felix, most probably by Alex, and… Piers and Isaac have gone after them."

The silence was like a heavy stench in the air.

Finally Felix spoke. "What happened?" he muttered hoarsely.

"It seemed that Feizhi was to do wi -"

"Don't do anything drastic, Felix!" Sheba quickly spluttered, looking rather horrified herself. "It might have been a misunderstanding!"

"Who – who took her?" Felix asked, before pausing. "I… don't understand."

"Isaac was framed, causing Jenna to be taken – it's not very clear, but we know it was the Proxians, and _I _know it was Alex behind it all," Mia answered  
"Why him?"

"Because… I know."

"Where have they taken her?"

"We're not sure. They went by ship," Mia answered, breathing quickly.

Felix's expression was indescribable. Everything that he must have been feeling, the shock, the horror, not to mention anger twisted over his angular face, as he tried to comprehend, and come to terms with what Mia had just said.

Sheba stared wide-eyed at the ground, very much afraid, for a reason she could not discern. She was frozen in waiting.

The tense quiet was abruptly broken. "Who framed Isaac?" Felix asked, dangerously quiet. Sheba shut her eyes, and opened them slowly, looking to Mia.

It was her name again. "Feizhi," came the answer.

Felix leapt up. Almost drunkenly, he moved forward and fell against the door of his cottage, slamming it open. Leaning for a moment against the wall, he breathed heavily, the same look of horror, churning with fury over his features. He heard Sheba yelling, just behind him, but did not understand her words, and without thinking he found his cloak, and threw it about his neck, before swiping up the untouched sword he had walked past earlier.

Turning to leave once more, he found Sheba standing in the doorway, standing in his way.

"Please don't start all this again," she said pleadingly, as he headed straight towards her. "Please just stop, and think about it."

"I'm going after Jenna," came his reply. Despairingly, Sheba moved back before he could push her aside to get out.

"But Isaac is already after her!" Sheba continued to try, jogging to catch up with him. "And you have nothing with you! You can't even get a ship, and you've got no supplies – you can't go losing your head!"

Felix turned, about to retort, when he was stopped short by something he saw in the distance. His eyes narrowed, and he did not move. Confused, Sheba turned to see Feizhi moving quickly towards them with Mia hurrying beside her, speaking desperately.

Stepping past Sheba, Felix stopped, and waited until they too, had come to halt before him. Feizhi smiled. Mia frowned.

"What's wrong?" Feizhi asked as she looked up at Felix with her wide, violet eyes, simpering. "You seemed fine earlier…"

Shaking, he glared at her intensely. Then he swallowed, obvious to Sheba that he was trying so hard to keep his innermost emotions from spilling forth. He almost looked tormented – furious, and despairing. "Like I said," he managed to say. "I'm leaving." He turned, to go.

"Wait!"

Felix stopped in his tracks, impatient now to see what Mia had to say this time. To his surprise, her expression was that of determination, and she was glaring at _him. _

"There is something I haven't spoken of yet," she said, giving both Sheba and Feizhi a glance before returning her gaze to him. "I believe that Alex is behind this all, and furthermore, I grew up knowing him."

Feizhi laughed. "Is this necessary?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Yes," Mia answered, unperturbed. "Let me explain. I was the first person who met Piers, and I believe every word he said. We talked, the last night before he left, and he held such sadness in his voice – such sincerity, as if he knew that everything was worse; as if he were hiding it." She paused, and took in a long breath. "He knows, and I am beginning to understand, that we are in a greater danger than we first believed so," she said. "And I believe another person who also understood this well, was Alex."

"Mia," Sheba murmured, worry evident in her voice. "What are you trying to say?"

"I'm saying that I've made a decision," Mia carried on. "I stayed here in the village to tell you the situation, Felix, to explain about Jenna, and now you and Sheba have arrived, it's time for me to continue on what I think is the right path. And," she added, "I won't be able to do it alone."

She knew she had their full attention – even Feizhi was curious. Taking another deep breath, Mia looked back to Felix, who was frowning in thoughtful silence, watching her.

"I'm going to travel north," Mia said quietly, "Back to where Alex and I once lived. I have memories of that place, and I have memories of Alex. He discovered something then – something that changed who he was. I believe," she said with added slowness, "That he's known about this danger for a long time."

Felix looked hard at the ground, his expression fading away, and Feizhi watched it all with calm, sceptical eyes.

"Isaac and Piers are doing their own duty," Mia continued gently, "Will you come with me?" She asked, before pausing and waiting watchfully.

After a moment, Felix stepped back a pace, and the sword fell from his fingers to heavily hit the ground. "Jenna…" he murmured weakly. Head hanging, his eyes were shadowed by his falling bangs, and he breathed shallowly.

Sheba bit her lip, aching inside. She wanted to do something… that would make a change. She wanted with all her heart and will to speak those simple words: that everything would be okay – but she couldn't. Somehow, it did not seem her place, and it tore her inside.

She softly laid her hand upon his arm, knowing of no other possible way to show him that she cared.

Suddenly sensing a change around her, Mia glanced to her right to see Feizhi with a look of anger upon her face. Furrowing her eyebrows, faintly amused, Mia averted her gaze and looked the other way, the wind blowing straight into her face from the ocean. It refreshed her, and she found herself remembering that first day when she had come across Piers, alone in a world that he did not know, or understand. A faint smile spread across her lips.

Finally, Felix looked up and allowed the same breeze to push back the bangs from his eyes. "Fine," he said, not looking Mia in the eye. She gazed at him, hopeful. "I trust Isaac," Felix found himself saying, surprised at his own words. "And I'm sure that Piers will take care of things."

"I will be setting out a while before sunset," Mia explained. "I plan to get some travelling done before night falls, and then continue tomorrow morning."

"Whatever you want," Felix answered. "I'll go and get ready." Slowly, he sat on his haunches, eyes returning to the ground. Not looking at anyone, he picked up the sword, and walked past Sheba, past Mia and Feizhi, and disappeared into the shadows of his home.

Sheba sighed. "I want to go with you," she said to Mia, folding her arms. "There's no point in me staying here."

"Are you sure?" Mia asked.

"Yes – I'm very sure," came Sheba's answer. Abruptly, she turned her gaze upon Feizhi, and glared. "And what about her?" she asked. "And Garet? And I haven't even seen Ivan yet? Are they staying?"

Mia was about to speak, but Feizhi cut in. "No one decides what I do, and don't ever think you can talk to me like that, brat," she said with much distaste. Sheba glared even harder, her emerald eyes glittering.

"I told Garet… earlier," Mia said, sounding exhausted, "Not long after I told you about the incident with Jenna. He says that he'll be staying."

"And Ivan?"

"There is no doubt that he'll be staying too, and he has every right to do so, seeing as he is warlord of this village." Mia paused. "He says he'll talk to you before we leave, Sheba."

Sheba pulled a face. "Only me?" she asked, and Mia nodded yes. "Well… then – I suppose I'll have to go see him now – if we're leaving soon?"

"Okay."

Sheba left, and Mia and Feizhi stood in mutual silence. The breeze was quickly picking up, changing distance as it moved round to slowly travel from the north. "We'll be working against the wind, it seems," Mia said.

Feizhi didn't answer. She ran her fingers through her hair, curling a lilac lock behind her ear before placing her hand on her other arm. "I'm going too," she said thoughtfully.

Mia pursed her lips. "It would be better if you stayed."

"Why?" she suddenly snapped, turning on her. "What makes you think that?" Before Mia could even answer, Feizhi continued. "If you disagree with me going with you, then I'll go on my own accord. You can't keep me in this village like a hostage, and you know it!"

"Fine!" Mia answered quickly, taken aback. "But we can never trust you – not after what you did to Isaac. You were essentially helping Alex there, and we're going north to _stop _him. Don't take my words for granted, Feizhi," she said, lowering her voice. "To us you are our enemy, and you know what that means."

"I know exactly what it means," Feizhi hissed. "And if you can never trust me, then it suits me just fine!"

Mia nodded curtly, and turned to leave, when she paused in her steps. "Oh," she said, looking back over her shoulder. "And I'm well aware that you're still up to no good, whether Felix knows it or not. So just remember one last thing…"

"And just what is that?" Feizhi asked, trying not to give away her surprise and retain her cold, calculating glare.

"I'll always be watching you, Feizhi," Mia murmured. "Always."

* * *

**Mia! I can't believe you talked so... evil sounding! Felix, get your act together - you're annoying me at the moment, and come on Isaac and Piers. For now, we're all relying on you to get some act-tion! Next chapter... ...**

**Please review! Thankeee so much, if you do! **


	11. Ripples

**I Came, I Saw, I Conquered  
_by Corycian Muse_**

Bah, this chapter has taken absolutely ages, I'm so ashamed. I completely went off track half way through, and couldn't get back into it, and so on and so forth.  
I really wish I could do a map for this, because I can see it in my head, but I have to incorporate it into the writing, which can be hard. Anyway, the Proxian part is out eastwards, into an expanse of sea between two continents (though the Proxians come from the north-east), and the Mia part where they're travelling north, is north of the village (which is on the coast of the continent) up along the coastline. Bah, I'm rambling, dammit.

* * *

**S.P.Q.T: Whenever I do finish this story, I'll go back through it and correct all the mistakes and badly written sentences etc., don't worry. Yeah, I'm enjoying doing Feizhi - she's going to be good fun. I've got her whole part sorted out too (evil laugh). Mia too, one of my favourite characters., though I think that last part of the previous chapter was just slightly OOC. From now on, it will get significantly... darker? I think that's the word I'm looking for. I hope it turns out well. Thanks for the review!**

**Xanda: Thank you so much! I try my best (sometimes). And I'm also really glad you like the constant character change thing - it's good to know it's interesting, and not annoying or whatever. You can never tell when you're the one writing it (lol). Still, thank you for the review! (Good ol' English buddy)**

Meneil: I know exactly what you mean with the Felix thing, lol. I was actually thinking about that part, thinking how hard it would be to write. Still, thank goodness for Garet (see this chapter, heh). Thanks for the review!

**SpasticDjinn: Meh, I love coffee too. Thankfully it doesn't affect me like it would you O.O; (scary thought). Where's my djinni? I've had no mail today! Thank you for the pros, as always, and thank you for the score, as always. Hurry up with Garet Potter (and the Golden Boys, come to think of it), and thank yoooou for your review!**

**MoR: I know! Poor Mia - what happened to her? And yup, I'm liking Feizhi as well. She really doesn't have that much of a character in the game, apart from having a crush on poor Isaac. lol! ; I can't believe I made that mistake in the summary! It really didn't make much sense before. It might have been ten chapters, but at least you did notice it at all! Still, I've changed it all together now - because we're onto the second half of the story... hmm... Thanks so much for the review!**

**windshipper: Fortunately, it's quite difficult to throw it off a cliff (for me anyway. Some people might be able to do it O.O;). Still, thank you for the useless review. **

**eli: Wow, you're excitable! lol. Well, here's the next chapter; hope you like it. Thanks for the review!

* * *

Please Read, Review, and Enjoy! ... ... ...

* * *

Chapter Eleven: Ripples**

"_Tell me… tell me what it is like where you come from."_

_Piers played with the shell in his hand. He turned it over so the sun caught its pearly surface. "Lemuria," he said quietly. "It is an island nation, dependant entirely upon itself. It is said that it came out of the sea, lifted by the god's hand, and from its fertile soils a pure race was created." He laughed dryly. "But I'd be surprised if that was actually true. There are much more valid reasons for why that is."_

"_There are?" Mia asked, slightly awed. "What are they?"_

_Piers looked thoughtful for a moment. "Well," he began. "All land is created by the forces beneath our feet. Right now it is at work below us," he said, patting the sand beside him. "Our race is pure, because no others have ever been able to set foot on our land in all the history of our island, and conquer it. The shores are embraced by torrential and dangerous seas. Sailing into them would be a death sentence." _

_Mia pursed her lips. Gracefully, she got to her feet and walked out ahead of them. The wind that skimmed over the ocean blew her whipping her back, and her light, silky dress swirled around her. The low waves played around her feet. _

_She turned slightly, and Piers watched with interest. "Then I don't understand how you managed to leave Lemuria," she said in her gentle voice. "And were you sent, or did you come of your own accord?"_

_Piers sighed, leaning back on his hands. "I was able to leave because of something you have yet to understand. Something that is the reason for all that has happened, and all that will happen," he said, then grinned lopsidedly. "I know that doesn't make much sense, but you'll have to believe me." _

_Mia gazed at him, gazed into his rich, golden eyes. "Tell me," she said again, smiling. "Tell me about Lemuria." She loved the sound of his voice; it was like a feather up her spine, soft and teasing. _

_Piers laughed, and got to his feet. "There are columns -"_

"_Columns?" Mia questioned._

"_Yes, columns," Piers said, moving his hands animatedly. "Great pillars reaching up into the sky, and blooming climbers over their white surfaces. There are cobbled roads and white-washed houses with soft blue and pink flowers below their windows."_

_Mia bit her lip. "It sounds so beautiful," she murmured. _

"_It is," Piers answered, joy dripping from his words as if he were speaking of a forgotten memory. He moved closer to the water, closer to Mia. "And there is a town square with luscious green trees that dapple the ground as the sun shines, and in the centre there is the magnificent fountain. It's huge," he said, spreading his arms wide, "With a great stone dragon leaning over the water."_

_Mia smiled at his enthusiasm. "You really love it, don't you," she said. "But you left, to come here and help us." Without realising what she was doing, she touched his arm gently. "I don't understand you," she murmured softly. _

_Piers' face fell. Solemnly, he looked away, and Mia brought her hand back quickly. "I'm sorry," she said, embarrassed. _

"_No," Piers shook his head, glancing at her before looking at the foamy waves again. "No, it's not you," he said. The guilt spread through his veins. It was something that Mia would inevitably discover._

_He turned to face her, and stepped forward. _

_And he embraced her, if only to say sorry, if only to let her now that he did care. If only for the fact, that one day, he would have to leave. _

_Mia slowly wrapped her arms around him and the wind washed over them, binding something that could not be seen…

* * *

_

"There are others on these shores," Alex murmured, staring into water.

There was a soft growl next to him. "And how do you know this? Or is it another part of your plan?"

Alex looked up sharply. "No plans," he said, tinged with anger. "But do you doubt the fact, Saturos, that someone would inevitably come after Jenna? _Or, _is your relationship with Menardi blinding you?"

Saturos took in a hiss of air, hunching his shoulders. "You are in no position to talk to me like that," he said dangerously.

"I was merely trying to give you some advice," Alex shrugged. "Tomorrow we'll be heading for the temples; we have Jenna roaming free in the camps -"

"She's being carefully watched," Saturos snapped.

"And whose idea was it for her to be free from bonds in the first place?" Alex continued. "Menardi, of course; your late lover. And now, our very enemy is close at hand -"

"And tell me this, Alex," Saturos snarled. "Why was taking a _girl _by the name of Jenna necessary in the first place? You have got plans of your own, and I will not be a part of it! _You _are working for _me_!"

"The reason we took Jenna was simple," Alex answered calmly. "By taking her, we've created a rift between them."

"Between who?"

"Between Jenna's brother and… and Mia, and the very two people who are on this island at the moment, as well as keeping Feizhi away from us – she was only ever out for herself." He closed his eyes for a moment.

Saturos sat in silence, eyes narrowed as he assessed Alex's words. "How do you know there are people here?" he asked slowly.

Alex's clear eyes opened, and met Saturos'. "There are ripples in the water," he said.

* * *

Jenna was leaning forward, resting her elbows on her knees. "How long am I going to be here?" she asked darkly. "How long are you going to keep me… hostage?"

"It's not up to me – I do not command this fleet," Menardi answered.

Jenna sighed sadly. "I… miss them!" she suddenly burst out, and immediately buried her face in her hands, embarrassed. "Did Isaac even see me go? Oh…" _Damn you Isaac! Everything's gone wrong… everything… everything…_

Menardi bit her lip hard. What could she say? How about, _It's all Saturos' fault – he wants to take the Kaze Amulet from this island so he can unlock Terra Umbrarum. _Or she could say, _I love Saturos, I love him so much, but he has become deluded and aimless, and is acting by Alex's word – but still, I love Saturos… _Menardi could not help herself, and she laughed mirthlessly. "Look," she began, as Jenna watched her with a questioning look on her face. "I'm sorry about all of this, and we can both only hope you see you're friends again -"

"What do you mean by that?" Jenna interrupted. "Are you saying there's a chance I might not go back?" She suddenly got to her feet, irritated. "Why am I even here anyway? What is it that I'm useful for, huh? Tell me that!"

Menardi opened her mouth to speak, but nothing came out. Truly, what could she say? Again, she was stuck, and helpless. "I don't know," she said finally, looking away, her expression slightly angry.

Somewhere behind her, a twig snapped in the darkness, and footsteps followed. Saturos stepped into the firelight, and surveyed them both. He had not taken the Proxian metal plate from his chest, and a sheath was still strapped to his hip. However, his expression was weary.

He turned to Menardi who was openly ignoring him. "Where's Karst?" he demanded.

"Why?" Menardi asked sharply.

"I have something for her to do," Saturos answered, indifferent to her tone. "I want her and Agatio to break off from the fleet with a small battalion and sail north-west. There may be others who have discovered of… the alchemy." He cast a wary glance at Jenna.

"I already know," she answered, reading his behaviour. "Alex told me enough."

"Right," Saturos grunted, turning away from her again. "There is a possibility of another clan wanting to unseal Terra Umbrarum, and as Puelle said, we cannot allow it to be unlocked."

"I think I understand more about Puelle's actions than _you_, Saturos," Menardi said coldly. "If I remember correctly it was me he came to first. Still, you like to take control, so we'll all follow under you and make a mess of things – why not?" She scowled.

Saturos said nothing. He did not even send her a glare. Jenna watched them both with a mutual interest, twisting a twig in the ashes.

"Where is your sister?" Saturos asked again quietly.

Menardi took in a heavy breath. "Karst is over by the eastern beaches," she said. "Probably having a brawl with one of the drunkards you brought along. Happy?"

"Exceedingly," Saturos snarled, and he left, leaving only the tense, heavy air.

* * *

Alex rested back against a tree.

Saturos had heeded his words, comprehended them. Now, he had sent out scouts to search the island, and to keep watch.

Piers had followed the Proxians – and no doubt, Isaac, as well - so discovering where the ancient Mustapha Temples were. He wondered if the Lemurian would take things into his own hands now he knew where the key was held. After all, he knew more about Terra Umbrarum than he gave off, Alex knew.

Alex knew, because he remembered the worn books and maps the old hag had kept in her dusty bookcase. Some might say it was bad luck that he discovered the library that day. Others would think differently.

_Still, _Alex sighed. _It appears that I am coming off the antagonist in all of this. How unfortunate. _

Smiling grimly, he closed his eyes.

* * *

Silently, Piers threw another piece of firewood into the dancing flames. It burst to life momentarily, flickering and spitting out ashes, before it calmed down under the stars.

Tomorrow morning the Proxians would almost certainly head out for the inscribed temples. Somehow, he would have to get in and take what he had come here for, and then head back to the village. But, he had to help Isaac as well. They had to get Jenna out of the Proxian camp.

And it would be tonight.

"We should put out the fire," Isaac murmured, picking up an old, damp blanket they had taken from the ship. "They could see us, and we'll be leaving soon."

"Right," Piers answered distantly.

Isaac threw the blanket over the flames, and it immediately died away. Once he lifted the old thing from the fireplace, smoke rose up strangely into the night sky. "I hope they don't see that," he muttered tensely.

Tonight he would see Jenna again.

Perhaps he could make amends…

Isaac suddenly became rigid. Piers too, froze where he was sitting. Their eyes met.

In a graceful movement, Piers crouched onto his haunches, and twisted, ducking as an arrow shot over his head. Bracing his legs, he leapt forward, as Isaac swerved behind him, drawing his sword.

There was a panicked yell, then a muffled silence.

Piers lazily held the curved blade to the Proxian's neck, keeping him to the ground with his weight on him. Without a word, Isaac moved swiftly into the surrounding foliage in search of other scouts.

"So they have an idea we're here, hmm?" Piers commented. "I suppose it was inevitable, seeing as Alex is with you, and he's bonded with water."

"What do you mean?" the Proxian breathed, flashing his blood-red eyes.

"Oh! You're going to break in to the sacred temples, and you have no idea why!" Suddenly Piers leaned forward. "Or is your leader keeping something from you? Which is it?"

The Proxian merely gritted his teeth, eyes wide.

Isaac was suddenly back, by Piers' side. "No one else," he said quietly, looking sidelong at the Proxian. "What are we going to do now? We can't release him – he'll go back to their camp with information of who and where we are."

Piers said nothing. Gently, he pressed the dull knife closer the Proxian's skin, who immediately started to whimper. "You think I wanted to come here?" he asked, his fingers curling up into fists by his side. "I do what I'm told, while _Saturos_ relaxes by a warm fire all evening!"

"Why did you take Jenna?" Piers asked, his expression soft, but his voice, edged.

The Proxian was tinged with anger. "How am I supposed to know!" he spat out.

"Tell us." Gentle pressure on the blade.

Whimpering again, the Proxian screwed his crimson eyes. "I don't know," he said, slightly desperate. "Nothing Saturos does is clear anymore. He always ends up doing what that stranger tells him to do. It makes no sense."

Isaac suddenly leaned forward. "Who is he? The stranger?" he asked quickly, and the Proxian glanced at him as if he hadn't seen him before.

"Calls himself _Alex_," he answered darkly, and Piers and Isaac exchanged a look. The Proxian glared back up at them. "Is there anything else you want to know?"

Piers was thoughtful for a moment, but he arched an eyebrow at Isaac who was next to him.

"They – you have a hostage," Isaac murmured, frowning. "Her name is Jenna. Where is she?"

For the first time, the Proxian smiled, coldly. His eyes were narrowed slits. "So that's why you followed us," he said carefully. Suspicion played across Piers' face, and for a second he pressed the knife harder into the Proxian's neck to remind him he was there. A trickle of blood oozed from the skin, and the Proxian hissed in pain.

"I don't want to harm you," Piers said in his soft voice. "However, if you do not cooperate…" he left it hanging there. The Proxian watched him with wary eyes.

"Fine," he said at last. "Fine. You want the girl? I'll show you where the girl is."

"Thank you," Piers answered.

Isaac sheathed his sword.

* * *

Night slowly crept over the land. The branches merged with the dark horizon, while the West was painted with orange and gold. The faint moon above them was past its full. Every night it had lost a part of itself, until one night there would be only a curving slither of light, and the next there would be no moon at all.

Shadows formed over the rough ground, and for that reason alone, Sheba found herself tripping. On tree roots, rocks, a rise in the ground. She cursed, her foot throbbing. Looking ahead, she could just make out the blurry shape of Mia… or was it Feizhi?

Well, it certainly wasn't Felix, because she hadn't seen him for the last hour. Who could know what he was up to, but it was getting annoying – walking a blind trail.

Huffing, Sheba hitched the heavy baggage on her back, and leapt across a narrow ditch, unsurprisingly stumbling when she reached the other side. _Damn, we better make camp for the night soon, _Sheba thought, disgruntled. _This is getting ridiculous. _

Huffing again, she continued on her way.

Leaves rustled.

The wind?

No. Sheba could not sense it. She knew the wind.

Her heart started to thump, making it difficult to listen. Straining her ears, Sheba paused, and looked back the way she had come. Black shadows flitted across the ground, and the dark of night swirled through the trees. She could see nothing.

_Oh –_ she swore mentally, biting her lip. Had it just been her mind playing tricks on her?

It was no good standing frozen. Willing her feet to move, Sheba continued onwards, knowing full well she was left behind from the others, and dangerously vulnerable. She quickened her pace.

Soft footfalls on fallen leaves.

This time it was no mind trick. For one second, Sheba stopped stiffly, but the sound continued behind her, like a ghost, following her steps.

Gasping, she jerked forward, scraping her arm on a branch. The bag slung over her back was slowing her; it had made things difficult from the moment they had set out. Still, with a handicap like that, Sheba was fast.

She pranced across more tree roots, breathing heavily, and managed one glance over her shoulder.

Nothing.

She could see no one.

Eyes wide and mouth open, Sheba breathed heavily. Her chest rose, and fell. Turning, she looked ahead of her, and could only just make out Mia's (or Feizhi's) figure in the falling darkness. She rolled her eyes. So much for all the running she'd just done – she hadn't caught up at all. In fact, it seemed she was getting more and more behind.

And why was she afraid to call out?

Still breathing deeply, heart pounding, Sheba started to walk again, trudging onwards, completely fed-up, and extremely unsettled. Someone had been following her, she knew. So… where were they now?

A hand abruptly touched her shoulder.

Yelling out in surprise, Sheba swung her arm out. The person grunted, and she jumped back, twisting around to see who it was, while holding her small staff up in defense.

The person was bent over, clutching their stomach. Frowning, Sheba lowered the staff slowly, peering through the darkness. Was that… red hair?

"Garet?" she asked, her face contorting in bewilderment. He raised a hand to give her a small wave. Obviously she had winded him worse than she previously thought. "What the hell are you doing here? You scared the hell out of me!" she said, flustered.

"Ivan…" Garet mumbled, carefully standing up straight. "He – told me it was best… that I should come. He said… he saw – trouble, ahead."

"Trouble? What kind of trouble?"

"I don't know!" Garet moaned. "Where are the others? Why are you still traveling at night? I was expecting to come across your camp way back there, and when I couldn't find it was getting a bit worried…"

Sheba made a disapproving noise. "How am I supposed to know? I've been left behind, and they don't seem to have even noticed yet. How kind of them," she said sourly.

Garet frowned. "Oh," he said.

Sheba was still watching him sidelong. "Well," she said at last, stepping away. "If you're coming with us, we better hurry and catch up with them, or we'll be completely lost." Her mind was suddenly in other places. Ivan had talked to her alone, before they had left the village, and what he had said, along with Garet's appearance, was starting to disturb her.

She grabbed hold of Garet's arm, and pulled him forward. "Come on," she said, beginning to walk away. "I do _not _feel like staying in these forests throughout the night, only to constantly bump into trees and other unworldly things."

"Well at least you'd have me," Garet shrugged, just behind her.

Sheba's expression was dark. "That certainly wouldn't make things better," she mumbled.

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**Umm, yeah, shorter chapter there. Sorry, but I don't want to go too far reasons of my own... (grumbling) stupid interlude chapter thingys... **

**Please Review! Clicky - clicky! **


	12. Rain Of Tears

**I Came, I Saw, I Conquered  
_by Corycian Muse_  
**

**I have no idea if this chapter took me a long or short time, because I've completely lost track of time! Haha. Weeell, I really like this chapter. A lot. Hmm, I'm back at school being whipped and tortured and I'm not really enjoying it. In fact, school sucks. I think I'll burn ours down. The good point about it is that I'm getting back into routine, and that means with this story as well.  
Note: I have a feeling this chapter might be bordering on the M -Rating, so beware (although personally, I don't think it's too bad).

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Xanda: lol, yeah, Sheba and Garet don't get on too well here either. Mmmm, bacon sarnies... daddie's sauce (starts drooling). Thanks for the review!**

**SpasticDjinn: Heh, thank you for your usual insane review! And thanks to Boulder my history class is even better (sweatdrops). You know, he made me say that. I forgot to put it into my review for Garet Potter, but sure you can add me on msn - my address is on my profile, so go add it! Thanks for your review.**

**Meneil: You know, because of you bringing up Agatio, it affected the plot of this chapter (for the better, I mean)! So thank you for that! (you'll see what I mean). Good ol' Garet. I'm liking him in this chappy, yes indeed. Thank you for the review!**

**S.P.Q.T: I like the good stuff. lol, I'll go change that to something else when I edit the whole story. I promise you everything Menardi hasn't died. Umm, I don't know if I'll ever do a sequel to this story - I don't know if I'll be able to considering the ending I'm planning. I suppose it's possible... And no! I would never create a Mary Sue! Oh, the horrors! Thank you for the review.**

**Gingy Mittens: Ooh, I'm not sure who Alex likes in this story, if anyone. My first request! I'll definately think about writing an AlexJenna one-shot. It's something different for me. Thanks for the review!**

**blackarrow92: I hope this chapter is just as good. Thank you for your review!**

**Master of Reality: Don't feel bad! No matter! Et non, non, non monsieur Mastere, I am jealous of _you_. You want to make an argument of this jealousy stuff? Let's take it outside! Eh... lol. Personally I like your rambling (lol), but I won't force you into it. Thanks for the review!**

**Berserker1: Thank you! And it's good to know about the Piers/Mia thing, because I always assumed Romance wasn't one of my better points. And thank you also for adding it to your favs! And thanks for the review! lol

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Please Read, and Please Review, and Please Enjoy! .. !..!

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Chapter Twelve: Rain Of Tears**

"She'll probably be over there, to the west – near the shores."

"What do you mean by 'probably'?" Isaac hissed. "Are you saying you're not entirely sure?"

The Proxian, who remained nameless, glared at him. "Of course I'm not sure. I don't keep tags on prisoners – it's not my job. All I know is that's where Saturos' camp is and she'll likely be close to him."

"And what about Alex?" Piers asked from the other side of Nameless.

"That – that…" he clenched his teeth. "Who can ever know where that bastard is? He comes and goes as he likes, stirring trouble, manipulating…" he trailed off, grumbling under his breath.

Piers turned to Isaac. "I think I have an idea what Alex may be up to," he said in a hushed voice. "And another point I need to get across, is that the three of us may be too many."

Isaac furrowed his eyebrows. "What are you saying…?" he said slowly.

"You can handle him by yourself – we both know it," Piers nodded in the Proxian's direction. "I have to get across to the other side of the camp if I'm to get anywhere with Alex. I need to find out what he's up to." He glanced at the horizon. "And," he continued. "The Sun will be rising soon."

Isaac did not take his eyes from the Lemurian. He bit his lower lip, deep in thought, and then glanced at the Proxian now waiting expectantly. "What will I do with _him_?" Isaac finally asked.

Piers heaved a sigh. "Perhaps we should kill him now."

A chilly silence crept through the air.

"Piers…" Isaac murmured, staring at him sideways.

Suddenly, a look of astonishment passed over the Lemurian's face, before he frowned. "What am I saying?" Abruptly, he grabbed the collar of the Proxian's armour, and turned him round. "We'll take you back to where you found us," he said in a soft, almost gentle voice. "Please come without making any trouble."

The Proxian stared wildly at the both of them. "You're insane," he mumbled.

When they had returned to the small camp they had set up, Piers swiftly took some lighter rope from the ship, and returned to where Isaac and the Proxian were waiting. "We'll come back to release you once we've completed what we came here for," Piers said quietly, as he threw the rope around the trunk of a tree and then tied it back, around the Proxian.

"Here," Isaac mumbled, handing the Lemurian a torn piece of cloth to gag Nameless. Piers took it, pulled it taughtly around the Proxian's head, and stood back. "Whatever you're doing," Isaac said with unease. "Be quick. Once I've got Jenna, it will be a race to escape."

Piers nodded, his bandana billowing gently in the breeze.

"We'll return to meet here," Isaac finished.

The Lemurian looked at him. He held within his golden eyes an eternal sadness, one that could never escape. "We know what we must do," he said.

Isaac shivered. Why did he get the feeling there was a greater meaning hidden in those words? "Right," he said offhandedly, quietly sheathing his sword. He was about to leave, contemplation lining his expression, when a hand rested on his arm to hold him back.

"Good luck," Piers murmured.

The air caught in Isaac's throat. He gulped. "You too," he mumbled, pulling away uneasily.

* * *

His face held no emotion. His heart was calm, and longing, and ready.

_Snow fell serenely over the hills, coating the conifers, softening the sounds…_

He ran one long, slender finger along the sharp edge of the tainted sword's blade. It pulsed with a dark, foreboding energy – sharp spasms plunging into his veins, clouding his mind momentarily. He gazed out over the camps, and the flickering dots of fires burning merrily, over the glittering night seas, out into the horizon.

_There were footsteps in the snow, and I followed them… _

The Proxians wanted to prevent it from happening, in order to save their own land…

_The prints were uneven, the falling snow began to fade; the red stains dissolving in the white softness led me onwards…_

The Proxians wanted to take the amulet away to be protected…

_My step quickened; I no longer followed the footsteps, but the bloody trail accompanying them. The trees leaned over me, the dying sky was grey, but the clear horizon was turning red. It blinded me. I froze._

_Plp plp plp… plp, plp… plp…_

Alex however, wanted it for revenge.

_Crimson eyes flashing at me, murdering swords held low, bright with their victim's life dripping, drip, drip, drip to the blood-soaked snow. Crimson blood creeping, soaking across the pure whiteness towards my feet. Painted splatters chaotic – everywhere, dripping from the trees…_

_Plp, plp… plp…plp, plp, plp…_

_Horror._

Involuntarily he pressed his finger down and nicked it on the razor edge. Eye twitching, Alex glanced down to see the trickle bleed over his skin.

_Their faces were frozen in terror, and pain. Twisted and contorted, the limbs stretched out in agonizing positions. Mauled, and torn, mother and father…_

The black sword clinked satisfyingly as Alex slid it into his belt. Swiftly he turned on his heal and made his way down over the rough terrain. Rocks protruded, hidden by early morning shadows, and the grasses were long and stiff. With difficulty, he managed it to the lower lands of the island, not taking his eyes from the looming buildings ahead.

_I ran, far from those murderous crimson eyes…_

Cerulean hair flowing over his shoulders, azure eyes intent. Alex stood in the shadow, staring at the inscriptions cut into the stone. He ran one hand over the lines of symbols, feeling their indents, wondering at their meanings. As he continued along the temple-like building, the golden-touched walls reared inwards into a small alcove.

_I tripped, and fell into the snow, lost…_

"And here, I may enter," Alex murmured, drawing the sword. How fortunate for Piers to turn up in the village, bringing with him the very key to unlock all alchemic power. How fortunate that he, Alex had discovered the secret so many years ago between the pages of an old, dusty book.

He stared at the black, narrow slot in the wall. It was centred in a pentagonal star, alchemic symbols at each point, other unworldly inscriptions surrounding that too.

_Everyone is ultimately alone… _

Alex brought the sword back, using both hands. The first of the Sun's rays glinted upon its twisted blade. Immediately he felt a surge of hot pain run up his arms and burn through his body, and he hissed through is clenched teeth in quiet agony.

_Why didn't that Proxian follow me? Why didn't he kill me too? Why did I have to continue to live, to suffer…? _

Silence.

Alex thrust the sword into the wall.

* * *

Piers narrowed his eyes. _So he did have the sword, _he thought knowingly.

With one glance behind him, he stepped over the shrubbery, and moved carefully down the hillside.

* * *

Isaac's mind was in a blur. Something did not feel right, and he could not pin it down. He shook his head to clear his thoughts. _If I'm going to get Jenna back, I need to concentrate, _he thought.

The Proxian had told him she would be near the shores – to the west of this island. The lightening horizon led him on. The Sun's rising rays rose up above the sea, and glittered upon the gentle, lapping waves.

But if Isaac were to face the truth, he would know he was searching into the unknown. Jenna could be guarded, and even worse, she may not even be there.

Crouched low, like a shadow, he moved silently through the thick, moor-like vegetation. A tree stood silhouetted ahead, and he made for it. Pressing his back against its ridged and knotted trunk, Isaac sighed relief. Then, he peered out over his shoulder.

Nothing.

Sounds of camp life in the distance reached him, but this part was deserted.

Frowning, Isaac slowly, warily stepped out, bending forwards slightly – one hand on the hilt of his sword.

_Something's not right. _

Two tents loomed up either side of him, as an unnerving sensation continued to grow in his chest. Nervously, Isaac glanced all around him while despairing. The camp was huge – how would he ever fine Jenna…?

A tent flap twitched, and then opened.

Isaac bolted to the left, and froze stiffly behind the tent. There was no where close enough to hide, and he was completely vulnerable. His heart thumped too loudly – _what if they can hear it – no… don't be stupid_.

There were voices. More than one.

_I mustn't draw my sword yet – they'll hear it, or see it glinting. I'll have to wait. I hope I don't even have to use it…_ Thoughts tumbled through Isaac's mind.

The tent flap fell back. Pursing his lips, Isaac softly edged around the tent, and noticed at the same time that the voices had stopped. He too, stopped in his tracks.

Jenna.

It was Jenna.

_After so long… I'm so sorry…_

She was staring up at the sky, deep in thought. _That's unlike her, _Isaac thought dryly.

He hissed through his teeth – what else could he do? When she didn't hear, he reached down and grabbed two pebbles, before tapping them together.

_Tp, tp, tp, tp – _she glanced quizzically in Isaac's direction.

The air caught in her throat. "Isaac," she whispered, eyes wide with disbelief. "You can't come _here_ – go away!" she hissed, completely taking him by surprise.

_What the hell is she saying? _Isaac thought, miffed. He stepped forward pleadingly, but Jenna drew back, waving her hands at him.

"Get away – quick! You _idiot_!"

"Jenna," Isaac whispered, his voice touched by irritation and confusion. "I'm sorry about the incident on the beach, it really wasn't -"

"- That doesn't matter!" Jenna interrupted, sounding infuriated. "Listen to me – and _leave_!" Suddenly, she froze. Her eyes widened even more, and she mumbled some inaudible words. She wasn't looking at Isaac.

"Jenna…?" Isaac murmured slowly.

A heavy hand fell down on his shoulder, surprising him, before its strong fingers dug into his skin, under his bone. Isaac yelled out in pain, as he was twisted around. He could only just make out Jenna's voice shouting his name.

Falling to his knees, Isaac gazed up over a massive abdomen, to crimson eyes staring back down at him. A massive fist swung out, and connected with the left side of his face.

_Crack…_

_Darkness, pulsing, light to focus, dark again, flashing eyes? Red, more red, crimson irises, darkness surging, unable to see, dreams, comforting black, then light, more light, hard ground underneath, cold breezes, pain, so much pain…_

"You think you weren't expected? You son of a bitch…"

_Don't speak, too loud, agonising pain, darkness again…_

"Isaac! Wake up!" Jenna screeched, as two Proxians dragged her in front of his limp form. The massive Proxian was pulling Isaac along by one arm, dragging him along the ground. Dazed, Isaac's eyes flickered open at the sound of her voice, and the pulsing agony surged once more down his temple. His left eye was closed. _I can't do anything to help you…_

He was still awake. He hadn't lost consciousness. Anger bubbled inside Jenna, a new surge of emotion – maybe something more. Snarling, she kicked out harder, trying to pull her arms free from the grasps of the two Proxians pulling her away.

It didn't work.

She stared at Isaac's dragging body and was almost overcome by despair, when she had an idea.

She lifted her feet from the ground so for a moment she was being held in the air. Then, with one swift motion, she swung her legs back and around the two Proxian's legs.

They tripped, their hold on her weakening as the stumbled forward, cursing, and Jenna pulled free.

"Get her – quick!" someone yelled. Jenna dodged the grabbing hands.

And then stopped in her tracks.

The huge Proxian was watching her with blank eyes, and she stared back up into them. Jenna was suddenly aware that he too was thinking the same thoughts as her. _What could she do next? _

Isaac slowly turned his head, catching the attention of the both of them. With a nauseous look in his eye, he blinked at Jenna as if he were trying to work out who she was. Jenna's eyes flickered to the sword in his side, before she stared back up at the waiting Proxian.

"So what are you going to do now, _bitch_?" he asked.

Jenna narrowed her eyes, buying time. "I don't know," she said, slightly too pompous. "What were your orders, and I'll work round them."

The Proxian's free arm twitched, as did his jaw muscle. He did not take his eyes from her. "Insolent little -" He took a hefty step forward and lunged for her.

Gasping, Jenna jumped out of the way. He reached out, grasped her hair, and pulled her back as if she were a rag doll. Jenna screamed out in pain, her eyes watering as she fell back.

"I'll tell you my orders _after _I'm done with you – you won't be going anywhere -"

"Get off her, Agatio," a voice came from the background. The Proxian's head snapped up.

"Shut it," he growled, his upper lip curling back. His face was so close to Jenna's; she smelt the repulsive stench of his breath, smelt his body odour, but it was nothing compared to the pain she was trying to endure.

His narrowed gaze returned to her. "You won't _ever _be leaving this place. You'll stay here and I'll tell Saturos of your insolence, and you'll be my little whoring bitch. Got it?" He shoved Jenna's head back, as spittle flecked her skin.

She did not answer him; only bit her lip, eyes tight shut.

"Look at me!" the Proxian snarled, enraged. "I said, have you got it!" He pulled hard on her hair, making her moan out. The Proxian stared at her, frowning. His jaw twitched again. He let go of Isaac, and drew his hand back to strike her.

The early Sun's rays glinted upon metal.

The sound of ripping flesh and clothing was heard by all who were close. Agatio's back arched as his dark blood rained out. He let go of Jenna, who fell forwards onto the dusty ground, and she coughed, wiping her face with the back of her hand.

When she looked up, she saw Isaac's sword lying not far from her, stained with the Proxian's life. When she looked further, Isaac was bent over, clutching the side of his head. "Isaac," she whispered, immediately anxious.

Jenna pushed herself to her feet, sidestepping the Proxian who was reaching round to clutch his slashed, bleeding back. "Isaac!" She reached out for him.

"Jenna," he mumbled, and in the early morning light Jenna could see his bruised and torn face. "I'm so sorry… on the beach – wasn't – it wasn't -"

"It doesn't matter," Jenna interrupted. "I know… I know…" A hand grabbed her around the neck, pulling her away from him. It forced her onto the ground, and once more, the Proxian was there, above her. She thrashed at him, clawing at his arm, desperate for air while mentally screaming Isaac's name.

"You think you can get away like that?" he wheezed, his face contorting, his eyes ablaze. "You _scum_! You're as worthless as everything else around here! It's _my _land that needs protecting! I'll kill you first, and you're friend here will be next! Do you think anyone needs _you -_"

In one second, a shadow flew above him, and he let go of her throat in surprise.

Jenna screamed.

* * *

"We have been travelling _all _night!"

"And we'll be reaching there tomorrow, is that correct Mia?"

She nodded gravely.

The further north they travelled the more bitter the air became. Ignoring Sheba's frustrated expression, Felix tugged the thick cloak tighter around himself, and adjusted his gloves before continuing up the hill.

"He's a man of few words," Garet said matter-of-factly, nodding his head while folding his arms. Sheba glared at him as she shoved the blankets onto his arms, before following Mia onwards.

"You carry them," she said, not looking back at him.

Garet nodded his head again, throwing the blankets over his shoulder. "She's a woman of few words," he mused good naturedly.

Unexpectedly, Feizhi spoke up. "She's not a woman," she murmured from beside him. "She's a _girl_." Garet frowned at her thoughtfully. Eventually, he shrugged.

"Well, it's not important. Shall we continue?" he smiled at her. "This-a way."

Feizhi continued, stepping over the rocks, and through the low brush that covered the landscape where trees did not grow. She did not take her eyes from Sheba.

"You know," Garet started, just behind her. "With this dull flat sky, I wouldn't mind betting that it will snow sometime soon. It's been a long time since I've seen snow – well, not since the winter seasons… which weren't actually that long ago…"

"I've only ever seen snow once," Feizhi answered. She could almost hear Garet's surprised expression behind her.

"_Once_?" he said incredulously. "Lady – where do _you _come from?"

"The south."

"Oh… well, I'm guessing it doesn't snow much there then. Well, I mean of course it doesn't, if you've only seen it once."

It was no surprise to Garet when the air became still and gentle, and just as the ground began to rise higher and a great forest rose up just ahead, white flecks of snow indeed began to fall.

"I told you!" Garet exclaimed cheerfully to the other four. "It's snowing, just like a said it would!"

Felix raised one arching eyebrow, while Sheba frowned at him speculatively. "When did you say that Garet?" she asked, shivering slightly.

"Back down the hill," he answered, staring up at the sky.

"I think we should rest once we reach the shelter of the trees," Mia spoke up. "We've been travelling on-going for a long time now, with only short stops. It's for the best." Her voice was distant. Her mind was obviously in other places.

_Piers…_

"Come on," Felix turned. Sensing Sheba's annoyance, he added, "It's not far now."

"Yeah, it better not be," she grumbled from behind. "My legs are killing me, and my feet are going numb. And Garet's giving me a headache." Sheba suddenly turned to him. "Why did Ivan say you should come anyway?"

Garet looked hurt. "Because Ivan said I would be needed," he retorted.

Sheba was about to return an answer, when she was cut short. "Don't start an argument now – you're just exhausted," Felix told her, disgruntled.

"Of course I'm exhausted," Sheba answered, annoyed. "And it was _you _who wanted to continue through the night without any rest. It's not a race to get there, you know."

Felix didn't reply.

"We're travelling to Mia's past, aren't we?" Feizhi suddenly spoke up as they continued towards the forest.

Mia looked at her warily. "That's true," she answered cautiously. "Why did you want to know that?"

"Well," Feizhi started nonchalantly. "We're going there to find out what Alex is trying to achieve, but we're not even sure where he is. For all we know, it could be a race with time."

For the second time, Felix stopped. He turned at looked at her assertively. "What are you trying to say?"

"What I'm trying to say," Feizhi started. "Is that Alex has a very nice, gleaming black sword, and he can unlock so much more with it."

* * *

The ground echoed with every step, reverberating down through hallways, and caverns, and underground halls. There was one light in the far ahead that twinkled like a distant dying star.

Alex's footsteps were light. He trailed one hand along the unseen wall to his left, feeling the constant inscriptions, sometimes feeling the emptiness of a path leading off to somewhere else before the wall reappeared moments later.

The Proxians would be likely to turn up soon, but there was every possibility they were being held up by the two fools - whoever they were - who had come to rescue Jenna. Everything was going according to plan then.

And there was no doubt it would be just as easy to hijack one of the Proxian's smaller ships to return to the mainland. If not, it was not difficult to worm his way back into Saturos' good books and then get back to where he needed to be. Terra Umbrarum.

But first, he needed the amulet.

The walls either side of him started widen, and the ground beneath him ceased to echo as eroded sand, and dust covered its surface. Then, moments later, the walls narrowed once more and formed into an arching doorway. The stone was worn, and the arch was high above Alex's head, and he stepped through with bubbling anticipation.

The octagonal room was glowing with the light from the centrepiece. Every wall was cut by symbols and ancient pictures of people, and animals, and forgotten wars. Mythological creatures flew through the skies, and cities were alight with a ravenous fire. The ground was marred with crevasses and fissures. It was all intricately cut out of the rock by a simple peasant's chisel.

The air itself smelt dusty and old.

Where the centrepiece met the floor of the magnificent room, the same five-pointed star encircled it, surrounded by the same unfamiliar symbols. However, Alex's clear, hungry eyes were drawn only to the object that withdrew from itself the power he so selfishly _needed_.

It was the Kaze Amulet. The stone of the wind. It lit up the room, as it lit up Alex's face, and he fervently stepped towards it.

He reached his fingers out to enclose them around the beautiful orb of light.

He never touched it.

"You see, Alex, not all is as it seems." Alex whirled around, and his mortified eyes fell on Piers, leaning against the arch. Once seeing he had Alex's attention, Piers stood up straight. "And it seems you never considered there to be _two _amulets."

"What do you mean?" Alex murmured fearfully, angrily, disbelievingly.

Piers stretched out his hand, and opened it. "This."

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**OO; The cliffhangers! Please Review! Little button, bottom left! You know where it is! (oo, that was an oxymoron. I think.)**


	13. Crimson Tides

**I Came, I Saw, I Conquered  
_by Corycian Muse

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**Ahah hah harr, I really don't know how to start this... No, I'm not dead, nor have I been abducted by aliens. I haven't even got writer's block. The reason for such a long update? Coursework. The very Devil itself! Begone, foul dwimmerlaik! I haven't been able to live for seven weeks! I could go on forever about all the coursework: History, I had to write about prohibition; for Religious Studies, I had to do the subject of Good and Evil. Go Irenaeus, I say! For Geography, I had to do long and arduous work about tourism in Antarctica! Oh yes, and 'A Midsummer Night's Dream' for English, but Shakespeare isn't that bad, I s'pose. _"Though she be but little, she is fierce!"_ Har! I had to read that part in class. Anyone seen the film, Seabiscuit? Well, if you have, you should see what I'm getting at here.   
Wow, I almost forgot this was fanfiction! Well, onto those brilliant reviews from the last chapter:

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**Xanda: Yeah, the Proxians are brutal - or at least, Agatio is. Poor Alex, I do feel a little sorry for him! HP sauce? Hmm, yeah, I like that as well, heh. Strangely, I hate tomato ketchup... thankee for the review!**

**blackarrow92:(Also waves the great Valeshipping flag) Yes! Go IsaacXJenna! One of the best pairings out there! Thanks for the review!**

**SpasticDjinn: Oh yessy indeedy, educated conversations, um hmm. Earl Grey tea? I can't believe Monsieur Mastere drinks such tosh! Personally I prefer Nescafé's Cap Colombe, but that's coffee. Ahem, and Tiamat is a mere amateur. Heed my words, young Spastica: Set rules over all, and would crush Tiamat as if he were a fly. Anubis too, Monsieur Mastere. Hahah! "Pro quam esse quam videri Quis Necavit Equitem" Thank you, as always, for the review!**

**MoR: I see we agree on quite a few things. I was merely lazy and uncaring when Mr. Spastica beat me in checkers. Hmph. Thank yoooou! You gave me 'constructive critiscm'! Well, I shall have to go back and destroy such terrible typos. They should nto exist in this world that we dwell in! (Actually, I'll just go back and edit the whole story once I've finished it). Of course I'm jealous of you! No questions asked. I respect you, man! Rock on! And I respect your rambling reviews! Sorry about the update soonish part (feels guilty). Asta la Vista!**

**SPQT: Yes, no murdering the Proxians! I like the Proxians! The next part of your review will be answered further down the page, and sadly, no cutlery is used. Garet proposing to Feizhi? Hah, I hope not! I like Garet in this story - so many people portray him as a dumbass, but he's not that bad, is he/ Just a bit... thick? Um hmm, all typos shall be destroyed sooner all later. Sorry that you ahd to read them. But, I do like Peru and I'm glad it doesn't matter! Thanks for the reivew!**

**ShadeXH: Bleargh! School sucks, I know. All I can simply say, is that I've missed your reviews, and you are an amazing person. Ahah! You totally hammered my stupid mistake in the last chapter. I kept calling the dagger a sword, when it's a dagger! Whoops! I hope I haven't banged my head without realsing it... Well, mustn't say anymore here, but thank you so much for the review!**

**Shiny Milotic: Oooh... well we will certainly have to find out! Ahahaharr! Thanks for the review!**

**Meneil: Haha! I have to laugh about the Agatio subject here. You'll see what I mean when you read this, but I really _hate_ that Proxian. I've put him into the story, because I had to, seeing as Karst is in it. However, he won't be in it for much longer, thank goodness. Thanks for the review! **

**PyroDragon88: My fellow Aquashipping dude, hello again! I want to point out that Aquashipping could be classed as the main shipping in this story, but you're going to have to wait! Sorry! Thanks for the review, and hurry with your updates! (please)

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**Please Read, and Please Review, and Please Enjoy! ... ...

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**Chapter Thirteen: Crimson Tides**

The bitterness in the air was nothing to Karst. She hardly noticed it. In fact, it was welcomed as it dived through the chilly winds, catching the sails, breathing life into the choppy waters.

She glanced west, and saw faintly upon the foggy horizon, the rise of land leaning up into the morbid skies. That was their trail – it was what they followed. And by night, when only things could be seen by the ethereal light of the moon, the prow of the ship was steered towards Polaris, the twinkling star, like a hole in the black bowl above.

Karst turned to the Proxian sailors working upon the deck. "Hitch the sail up upon the first mast," she called out. "I want to reach shore by tomorrow's midday." She turned, hugging herself while her eyes slowly narrowed as she listened to the bustling people behind her. "I have a feeling there will be something we're not expecting," she murmured to herself.

* * *

The corner of Alex's shadowed azure eye twitched - a spasm he could not rid. He felt his lip curling backwards into a frustrated snarl.

"You…"

"Yes, I," Piers answered, a step from the edge of mockery. "Feels rather light, doesn't it?"

A low growl escaped Alex's throat. One moment he was completely still. In the next, his face contorted into utter fury, and he blindly threw the amulet in his hand at Piers, who just managed to sidestep out of the way.

The amulet struck the stone wall, and shattered into dust and sandy chalk. It hung in the air for a while, a small, gritty cloud.

Alex's form dissipated.

Bemusement crossed over Piers' face, as he stared at the echo-like image of where Alex had been standing. His whole body felt rigged, as he tried desperately to keep aware of his surroundings.

A dripping noise reverberated down the long hallway from the entrance. Piers ignored it. The dim light from the centrepiece flickered, like a candle's flame, creating shadows around the room, while disturbing others into light. He ground his foot into the hard stones beneath him, knowing an attack would come at any moment, from any side.

The air seemed to slice apart.

Narrowly missing Piers' shoulder, the tainted blade was thrust out and down as Alex's form merged together behind him. Piers stumbled, and grasped out at the wall for support, before he whirled around to face the attack.

"If this deed has to be done," he breathed, holding up a placating hand. "It will be done by me alone."

Alex's eyes were pale and watery, and his face appeared gaunt in the dim light. His attire seemed to hang from his form. Only five minutes beforehand, he had been standing proud and immaculate before the fake amulet, ready to destroy one land for another. Now he was weak and exhausted from using a power only he could tap into, in his blind fury to attack and kill the Lemurian. "What do you mean?" he muttered hoarsely.

Piers seemed pleased that Alex wasn't rearing to maim him so recklessly now. "What I mean, is that you and I ultimately want to do the same thing."

Confusion chalked over Alex's expression. "Talk sense," he growled, still clutching the black dagger with white hands. "Talk sense, before I…"

"Before you… what?" Piers asked, suddenly very close to him. "Before you, attack me, say?" His movement was quick and unreadable, taking Alex by surprise. Before he knew what had hit him, he doubled over, wheezing, clutching his stomach as the Lemurian stepped back to give him room. Alex slid to the floor. He looked, Piers noted, utterly and enigmatically pathetic, and a deep, unfathomable sadness welled inside him to see such a sight.

A small trickle of blood ran from the corner of Alex's pale lips. He clutched at his stomach as he stared into nothingness – at things only he could see. The dagger, now dull, and lifeless, lay upon the dusty ground before him – abandoned.

Piers' face softened. "I'm sorry," he said, vaguely aloof, and he stepped past to be covered by the shadow of the low archway. The light of the centrepiece slowly died behind him, as he made his way towards the entrance. A new light ahead told of the rising of a new Sun.

Piers did not hide, or crouch low, as he walked along the hilltops above the Proxian camps. He made no effort to keep himself hidden, because he knew no one was looking for him, or even looking in his direction.

As he walked, he took into detail the amulet that was held securely between his fingers. The strange thing was that however long he kept it close to his skin, its gleaming metal surface always remained cold. He eyed it, holding it close to his face while half watching where he was stepping, and saw, unsurprisingly, inscribed symbols in its angular surfaces. A single black jewel was encrusted in its centre, and within this precious stone was a deep, perplexing, ever-changing brush of colour. Depending on how Piers held it, it could have been a rich caramel, or if he turned it sideways to the Sun, it merged into a golden light inside the darkness of the jewel.

"This should be worn by a fair woman," Piers mused dryly, and he felt his face fall as he spoke. His eyes clouded over.

_The magnificent pillars of whitewashed stone sank into the loamy ground. They were surrounded by high, green grasses of every shade possible. Especially when the Sun shone down. Lemuria was beautiful. _

_The grass swayed, and bowed and lengthened and grew fine and changed in hue. It turned over and morphed into cascades of shining blue, gleaming cerulean. It all fell, over the contours of a high brow, and long lashes, and the smooth curve a rosy cheek to play over soft virgin lips. And the lashes parted and grew wide. Mia was beautiful._

And because she was beautiful in every way, Piers' heart hurt so very much. It ached forlornly, guiltily, piercingly. It was something that could not be healed because Piers knew he had to choose.

And being divided over choice was what ripped his soul in two, because Piers wished he could have both, and he knew that could never happen.

He thrust the amulet into the small leather purse on his belt, as if it burnt his fingers. He did not want to hold such a thing that's very meaning was the quintessence of choice between one's survival and another's death. It was too overbearing.

Piers suddenly found himself in the small clearing of their temporary campfire. Thankfully, Isaac had not returned yet, just as he had hoped.

Without any hesitation, he stepped over the ashes of the spent fire, and into the shadows of the trees. Pulling the small knife from his belt, he leaned forward. The gagged Proxian, still where they had left him, looked up at Piers with uncertainty and fear shining in his red eyes. For a moment, Piers stared back, nonchalant and expressionless.

Suddenly, he pressed the flat of the knife against the Proxian's jaw, and slid it up under the old cloth. With a calculated ease, he cut the gag clean off, where it fluttered to the ground. The Proxian took in a sharp intake of breath, and managed to rub his cheek on his shoulder, rolling his head sideways.

"Go back to Saturos now," Piers was saying. He had moved around behind the Proxian to cut his binds. "Go to him, and tell him everything that you have seen. Tell him that I have the amulet, and tell him that Alex wanted the same thing. Tell him," he said, finally cutting the rope in two, "Tell him, that his anger had blinded him." He nudged the Proxian forward, who grudgingly stepped away. They did not take their eyes from each other.

"What misfortune have you brought upon us?" Nameless asked darkly, moving back into the morning shadows.

Piers eyes grew wide, taken aback. For a moment, he was speechless. "What misfortune may be for you," he said hoarsely, "Could be the survival of someone else. Please…go."

The Proxian left.

For a while, the Lemurian stood in frozen stillness. He stared into the rustling leaves, not blinking until his eyes blurred and became watery. The colours of the world moulded together and distorted, until the stinging pain became too much and Piers had to blink.

The world became clear again, and a single tear trickled slowly from the corner of his eye.

It was not long, before Piers had set sail once more, away from the island that had held upon it such inexorable despair.

* * *

The black, musty emptiness surrounded him – pressed down upon his closed eyelids. Something was dry and uncomfortable near his mouth, and his tongue darted out to lick its irony flavour. Cracked blood. Alex rubbed it from his chin with the back of his gloved hand.

The wall was hard against his back, and the ground was cold beneath him. There was no warmth in the air, or in his heart. He was bitter.

So bitter. Alex snarled and bit into his lip, pulling his legs up further to his chest, tugging the cloak closer around his shoulders. He opened his eyes, and in the faint light he could almost see the people on the walls moving. They pranced, and raised their spears, and fell to the ground as the battles wore on. And then their movement died with their lives in the stories told, and they were just pictures in the stone once more.

Alex pressed his fingers into his temples, rubbed his eyes. Then, he noticed the dagger lying dead upon the ground beside him.

Sheba had found it; it was the first visible proof that someone from the _outside _was on their land. As Alex thought about it, he remembered how he had then gone to see Piers' ship. The magnificent prow, and the high masts and the pulsing, energy emanating from within its wooden shell. It was an energy he was very familiar with.

Alex chuckled. _How ironic, _he thought with sadistic amusement. _The very books I learnt the elements from will soon be discovered by Mia as she travels closer to our home in the north! That's if she ever comes across them, _he continued to muse. _I did hide them well… I should have burnt them, destroyed their fragile pages… _

But then, Saturos had already sent a small _battalion _to those very northern shores.

"By the time Mia unearths the truth, it will be too late," Alex said aloud, to the high ceilings above him. His voice bounced from wall to wall. "The earth will already be shaken by then…"

He took the dark blade from the ground, and drew it back, aiming it at the palm of his hand. Intricate, powerful emotions surged through Alex, beneath his masked façade.

He snarled, and stabbed, metal to flesh.

Dark red seeped through.

* * *

"Before Sheba left, I talked to her," Ivan said, playing with the cup handle distractedly.

"But what did you tell her?" Dora pleaded, leaning over the table. "If it has something to do with Isaac, then -"

"- Isaac will not be hurt. He will return with Jenna," Ivan interrupted. He was disgruntled, and as much as he tried to hold back his discontentment, it was starting to seep through his calm manner. "Please madam, I would not worry for any situation. And please do stop Kyle before he takes off north after them. He'll be lost in those forests before nightfall." Suddenly realising his unnaturally sharp manner, he added, "Please do not worry. It will all be… okay." It didn't sound right.

How could he possibly tell Dora what he had told Sheba alone? Ivan had always felt a strange bond between himself and the girl - something unworldly, and yet to be discovered. Something that he suspected was to do with the strange alchemy; alchemy that he was aware only of existing.

That was precisely what he had told Sheba.

As Ivan stared up at the low, dark ceiling of the cottage, now running his fingers over the knots and indents of the wooden table, he wondered anxiously with empty thoughts. For once, the future was clouded over.

And it frightened him.

"I can tell I will be getting no more from you," Dora said, bowing her head as a sign of respect as well as defeat. "If you're not going to tell me, then there's just nothing I can do about it, is there?"

"I'm afraid not, madam," Ivan answered, undeniably relieved at her step-down.

Dora acknowledged his words. "I'll try and hold Kyle back," she said with a slight chuckle. "He's a bit headstrong, but I'll be able to get round him – hopefully."

"Well, that is good," Ivan replied. "However, please tell him for me, that he will be needed here. Remember that." There was a deep sincerity in his words, and Dora watched his expression closely. "He _will _be _needed _here," Ivan repeated, drumming in the words. He stared into Dora's brown eyes, not blinking.

"I'll tell him," she answered, her voice low.

She stood up straight, and bustled through the half-open door. Ivan watched her go, and then let his eyes drop to the table in front of him. The breeze played with his flaxen hair, and ruffled over his tunic. It was not long before he too got to his feet, and left the thatched cottage, as if the wind was pulling him into the open air.

The azure sky was dusted with white, uneven clouds that played across the open blue, carried in the high breezes. People stood, talking animatedly, laughing with one another, gossiping, woven baskets of vegetables and ripe fruit hung from one arm. Men walked by, loaded with firewood, their axes slung over one shoulder. Children were lost in their own fantastical, naïve worlds, a place that could only be visited when you were young, and the world was enormous and unseen. The Sun gleamed in their faces, as Ivan walked past.

He watched it all with a strange awe, as if everything were in a new light for him. People glanced at him as he passed, nodded in acknowledgment, smiled. He was their warlord, after all.

"Good morning, mister," a young girl said genially as she skipped past. She waved, grinning broadly, and Ivan returned the smile. He watched as an even younger boy jumped out in front of the girl, making her scream with fright, and then smack him in an annoyed, yet affectionate way.

Ivan just caught a glimpse of Dora near their home, before she disappeared from his sight as he walked further down the road. He was suddenly struck with a pang of empathy and what could have been guilt, as he thought of the woman. She and Kyle's only son was somewhere unknown out to sea, and they obviously had their own suspicions of something more dangerous to come. It must have been hard.

As the sound of peoples' every day antics died away behind him, Ivan's footsteps came to a slow stop, where the wind was stronger, wilder. The ground fell away before him, as he stood still at the top of the cliffs. He stared out over the restless waves.

How many people had stood where he was, and looked into the same misty horizon? What stories did they hold?

Ivan felt intent, and he felt unnaturally empty. He felt wrong; he was troubled by anxiety. Below him, the foamy waves crashed into the bent, jagged rocks.

"Ivan?"

He jerked at the sound of the voice close behind him, and turned sharply around while taking a step away from the cliff edge. "Kay," he breathed, a little surprised. "What is it?"

She was Garet's older sister, infamous for a sharp temper. Ivan knew better, and understood what was beneath it all. He had a knack for understanding people under their outward appearance.

"I saw you coming up here," Kay explained, not embarrassed at all. "I wanted to ask you something – about my brother."

"Oh. What was that?" Ivan asked, having a pretty good idea anyway of what it was Kay wanted to know.

She peered into his violet eyes, giving Ivan the distinct feeling that he was being intruded upon. No one else was able to look at him like that, and it was unnerving. "Why did you say it was a good idea that he went up north with that Mia? And Jenna's older brother?" she asked, as if she were interrogating him.

Ivan sighed. He was having to explain a lot to people today. "I told him he was needed with them," he answered, repeating the same words he had spoken to Dora earlier.

"Needed for _what_?"

"For his services, Kay. Because Garet is a remarkable person. Because, every person is remarkable, because we are all unique."

She looked vaguely confused. "I don't understand what that has to do with anything," she replied brusquely, placing her hands on her hips while continuing to eye him.

This time, Ivan did not answer.

He could not explain it.

"Well I don't see why it's fair that he goes off to leave me with all the hard work of looking after Aaron, not to mention our grandfather…" Kay continued, and she failed to hold back the slight tremble in her voice.

"He'll be back soon," Ivan replied, gazing at her sidelong. "They will return, any day, the will come home…"

* * *

Jenna hardly managed to pull herself out of the way, before the behemoth of a body swayed forward, and slammed into ground, great masses of dust being thrown up around it.

Jenna's face was flecked with the Proxian's blood, as were her clothes. She tried to hold back another scream, as the massive Proxian's decapitated head fell to the ground, just before her. Its repulsive, twisted face was frozen, and the sight of its frayed neck caused her to heave. She covered her mouth.

"One less troublemaker," came a voice from somewhere to Jenna's right. "He was dangerous, angry brute. Would have caused trouble sooner or later, but I wasn't expecting that." The Proxian woman pulled some clothing from the massive Proxian's body with utter distaste, and wiped it along the bright, curved blade of an immense scythe. It was frightening to see. She turned her blazing eyes upon Jenna. "Are you all right?" she asked.

"Menardi," Jenna breathed her name. She was relieved, but she had not expected such a quick, horrific attack. These people… they were fatal. It was like an iron grip in her chest; as if she refused to believe what she'd seen, that Proxians would easily kill another if the difficult situation occurred – that she had ultimately, been saved by this woman.

Suddenly, she thought of Isaac.

She whirled around, to see him lying sideways on the ground. "Isaac!" Jenna scrambled over to him, and saw he was still conscious. "Please, please… stay awake."

Isaac's blue eyes were dull, and vague. His golden hair was bloodied and dirty, so much so, that it could have been mistaken for brown hair. He saw her, in a distant way, recognition only slightly touching his features. One grazed, shaky hand reached up and touched her cheek.

Jenna felt her eyes burning – she was trembling, and she let the tears trickle down to leave their paths clear through the grime across her face.

Slowly, quietly, she reached out and wrapped her arms around his shoulders. Bending down, she hugged him as he lay upon the ground, pulling him to her.

The curve of Isaac's face moulded to the shape of Jenna's neck, his chin leaning into her collarbone, as she held him close. His bones ached, and were heavy with exhaustion, and as he tried to lift up both arms, he felt his body falling back. He managed to move his left hand back to keep him upright, but he felt the warm, relentless taste of blood rising up into his mouth.

"Isaac… I love you," Jenna muttered, her voice cracking. Her tears came, like jewels upon her skin. They fell into his hair, and she did not know what else to say.

It was like distant echoes behind them. Menardi was giving orders, and other Proxians were moving about, talking.

In the next instant, Menardi was beside them, giving them room, yet urging herself to be known. She was needed.

Jenna pulled back, grudgingly, when Menardi's hand fell upon her shoulder. "Your friend needs help," the Proxian murmured, and Jenna saw she had odd assortments with her.

As Jenna held Isaac up, Menardi cleaned his wound with warm water, as well as his face. "It should wake him up a little," she said dryly, dabbing his forehead for the second time.

"He'll be… okay, won't he?" Jenna asked, not sure if she wanted the answer.

"Of course," came the flat reply. "Listen to me." Suddenly Menardi was serious, and she faced Jenna head on, eyes narrowed. "You're going to have to leave now," she said in a quiet voice. This was obviously a conversation only between herself and Jenna alone. "Get away from here, and find the other person who came with him."

"Another person?" Jenna questioned, worried. She cast a quick glance at Isaac before looking back at Menardi. What other person had come? Was Felix here somewhere on the island? How had they got here?

"Yes," Menardi answered, her voice touched with exasperation. "Now get away. Quick." Her red eyes bore into Jenna's, who looked back just as discerningly.

Jenna realised. She was trying to help. Of course, she was trying to help. "Right," she answered, nodding her head determinedly. She quickly, angrily wiped her face of any tears, and turned to hook her arm around Isaac. Finding her strength, Jenna lifted him to his feet, and took his leaning weight.

Menardi turned around to face Proxians who were watching her expectantly. "Go!" she literally screamed at them. "Get out of here! Go and tell Saturos! Quick!" Jumpy, they scattered, grumbling among themselves while lifting their weapons and disappearing behind tents.

Menardi turned and glared at Jenna. "I won't tell you again," she growled, taking Jenna by surprise. "Go!"

Isaac was heavy, and stiff. Jenna could only hope he would come round as they left. She had no idea where to go. "Come on," she murmured, knowing she was telling herself that more than Isaac next to her. "Hurry!"

The Sun was higher in the sky that ever. Jenna knew she had to get into the cover of the forests quickly. Abrupt thoughts of Menardi came to her, and waves of gratefulness swept through her chest. Uncomfortably, she tried to glance over her shoulder to see if the Proxian was still there, but she was already lost from sight.

"Where do I go!" she muttered, as she heaved both herself and Isaac into nowhere. "Isaac, please… you've got to help me here!" Sweat trickled down her temple.

He suddenly became deadweight, and Jenna had to stop in her tracks. She looked at him, but his head was bowed. Nothing happened.

She nudged him gently, but he did not respond. She elbowed again. Nothing.

"Isaac," Jenna hissed, suddenly desperate, suddenly sensing that terrible tingling of fear in the pit of her stomach. "Isaac! Please, wake up! I need you!"

Without warning, he moved. It was a mere tremble through his body, but she felt it. Jenna turned, and grabbed his shoulders. "Look at me!" she commanded. "I said, look!"

He lifted his head shakily, and reached out to grab hold of her for support. With his other hand, he pointed into the forest. "That way…" he managed to whisper. "Piers…"

"Piers! You came with Piers?" Of course, he had a ship, didn't he? That was how they came after her… It was Piers.

"Right," Jenna said determinedly. "Let's go." She took up her previous position, and continued in the way Isaac had pointed. "You're going to have to help me, okay?" she said clearly to him. "Try and walk, please."

Isaac was beginning to respond. Every second he seemed to be gaining more strength, more conscious of what was happening around him. "Jenna," he breathed her name more than a couple of times.

The trees became sparse around them before long.

"It's through here," Isaac murmured. He gripped Jenna's other shoulder, and she tried desperately to keep him balanced.

The ground became strewn with brush, and the trees disappeared behind them. The ground ran down in a slope to a clearing where an old fireplace was dug into the ground. Relief flooded through Jenna, and she hurried forward with Isaac trying hard to walk beside her.

Not far ahead, the ground fell away steeply towards the sea. "Stay here," Jenna mumbled, breathing heavily. She let go of Isaac, and he sat heavily, leaning back.

There was no sight if Piers on land, but there was every possibility that he was on the ship. Jenna hurried over towards the sounds of crashing waves, and froze near the edge.

The ocean below her was empty and endless.

Wild and crashing, foam flew up towards her. As she stared down, she saw the remains of cut rope tied onto the jagged rocks, flailing about in the sea.

There was no doubt that the ship had been here.

But it had since gone…

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**Review please! And magical things happen!  
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